[MPlayer-users] Missing /help/help_mp-en.h

[The Wanderer]

sam archer wrote:

>> Please post the part of the compile which fails - both the command
>> line which is displayed and all of the errors which appear.

(No, I wrote that. Please try to set up your mail software so that it
adds an attribution line when quoting - I can't really help you do that,
because I don't know what mail client you're using and am not familiar
with most of the possible candidates anyway, but it will help you avoid
annoying people in various forums.)

> Checking for language ...
> Error: help/help_mp-en.h not found

This is not part of the compile, it's part of the configure step.
Configuring comes before compiling.

>> The only thing I can think of, with the virtually nonexistent
>> information that you've provided, is that maybe you actually didn't
>> configure MPlayer - but in that case I wouldn't think you'd be
>> able to get even as far as you apparently have.
> 
> root at nasa:~ # home/lungs/MPlayer-1.0pre7try2/MPlayer-1.0pre7try2/configure

Okay, if this is the exact command you ran, then there's your problem.
configure expects to be run from the same directory the configure script
is located in. There is no file named "help_mp-en.h" in a directory
named "help" in the directory you were in when you ran the command, and
so you get the error. Change to the MPlayer source directory and try
again; it should work just fine.

>> (Incidentally, I'll note that help_mp-en.h is *not* supposed to be
>> in "/help/"; it's supposed to he in "help/". The former directory
>> is in the root directory of your hard drive, and the latter is in
>> the current directory. This was probably just a typo on your part,
>> but in the unlikely event that you actually *have* created a
>> directory named /help/ and moved the file there, it would
>> definitely cause problems.)
> 
> You are right, that was a typo.  Needless to say I'm relatively
> inexperienced.

I'd guessed as much. <grin>

> Thankyou for taking the time to help me, it was very much
> appreciated!

Not a problem; you're at least not an idiot (as so many are), you're
just very new. Once you become more familiar with what things produce
what effects and why, you should be able to get on just fine.

In this case, your problem could have been easily recognized by being
more familiar with Linux paths and what they mean. I'd guess from that
that you're not only new to MPlayer, but also to Linux?

> Sorry I didn't offer more information to begin with, and I'm sorry if
> I still haven't.

No - this is just fine.

> Everything else was completely ordinary and standard procedure until
> all of a sudden it complained that it could not locate the help file.

That's because the language check is the first one which relies on the
presence of a file whose location is determined relative to the current
directory, rather than the root directory. I don't actually remember
offhand whether or not there are more such checks later, but if you run
the configure script from the correct directory, you shouldn't have any
problems with them.

> Initially, I had a run in with the version of gcc, but I acquired the
> more recent versions and the specific versions specified in the FAQ.
> I don't think it would have anything to do with that, unfortunately I
> honestly wouldn't know.

Indeed not - this part of configure doesn't involve compiling anything
even as a test.

> Thanks again for your time.

You're welcome.

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.