Problems installing source on Gentoo
 

Hello everyone,

I am trying to install certain programs from source (There are no eBuilds for these packages) such as KBFX for example.

After running ./configure I get he following output:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
checking for KDE... configure: error:
in the prefix, you've chosen, are no KDE headers installed. This will fail.
So, check this please and use another prefix!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My KDE stuff appears to reside in /usr/kde/3.4/

Here is output from 2 files in the /etc/env.d directory (Not even sure if configure uses these):

46kdepaths-3.4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PATH=/usr/kde/3.4/bin
ROOTPATH=/usr/kde/3.4/sbin:/usr/kde/3.4/bin
LDPATH=/usr/kde/3.4/lib
CONFIG_PROTECT="/usr/kde/3.4/share/config /usr/kde/3.4/env /usr/kde/3.4/shutdown"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

99kde-env
--------------------------------------------
KDEDIRS=/usr
CONFIG_PROTECT=/usr/share/config
#KDE_IS_PRELINKED=1
--------------------------------------------

I have also tried temporarily setting the KDEDIRS environment variable to include the /usr/kde/3.4 directory and it's sub-directories, but configure still returns the same error.

I then googled the topic.
I found 2 solutions which have worked for some people.

The first was to make sure I had the klibs-dev (or devel) package installed.
Apparently this error has to do with not being able to find the header files.
I am not sure how to verify this and I would assume when kdelibs was emerged, the header files would have been too, not sure though, just a guess.

Could not find any ebuilds for either kdelibs-dev or kdelibs-devel:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
headquarters ~ # emerge kdelibs-dev
Calculating dependencies
emerge: there are no ebuilds to satisfy "kdelibs-dev".

headquarters ~ # emerge kdelibs-devel
Calculating dependencies
emerge: there are no ebuilds to satisfy "kdelibs-devel".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I then tried to find source for either of these two.
Could not find any for kde 3.4.1 and even if I did would I not run into the same configure error?
Irony oh boy! Catch 22.

I could try emerging a more recent version of KDE, but I am beginning to suspect this is an issue with Gentoo or a simple configuration that is beyond me.

The 2nd solution that people suggested was to use a --pref argument with configure.
In my case ./configure --pref="/usr/kde/3.4/lib" to find the headers.

Tried this, same error.

I know, I know, it's just a launch button, live without it lol.
But, emerge cannot get you everything.
Eventually, I may need something more important that will require installing from source, and I will get the same error.

If I have left out any snapshots of files that would be helpful, please let me know and I will provide them.

Peace

PJ

This has been resolved, compliments of CptnObvious999 on the Gentoo Forums.
He showed me the correct --prefix statement --prefix=/usr/kde/3.4/ not --pref="/usr/kde/3.4/lib" as I was trying.

He mentioned that this --prefix argument would need to be used with applications that depend on KDE, others may not need it, I know superkaramba did not require it.

He was also helpful in pointing out that should I upgrade to say KDE 3.5 in the future, to reflect that in the --prefix argument i.e --prefix=/usr/kde/3.5/

Thanks again

PJ

superkaramba works best when using the --prefix=`kde-config --prefix` set.
It has to do with the fact that it uses quite a bit of KDE-isms and is now currently part of 3.5.0.
Although, it may still run without it, we recommend it.