tds: Scripts
3.6 Scripts
===========
The top-level `scripts' directory is for platform-independent
executables, such as Perl, Python, and shell scripts, and Java class
files. Subdirectories under `scripts' are package names. This eases
creating distributions, by providing a common place for such
platform-independent programs.
The intent is not for all such directories to be added to a user's
command search path, which would be quite impractical. Rather, these
executables are primarily for the benefit of wrapper scripts in whatever
executable directory a distribution may provide (which is not specified
by the TDS).
Truly auxiliary scripts which are invoked directly by other programs,
rather than wrapper scripts, may also be placed here. That is,
`scripts' also serves as a platform-independent analog of the standard
Unix `libexec' directory.
We recommend using extensions specifying the language (such as
`.pl', `.py', `.sh') on these files, to help uniquely identify the
name. Since the intent of the TDS is for programs in `scripts' not to
be invoked directly by users, this poses no inconvenience.
For example, in the TeX Live distribution, the ConTeXt user-level
program `texexec' can exist as a small wrapper script in each
`bin/PLATFORM/texexec' (which is outside the `texmf' tree), which
merely finds and calls `texmf/scripts/context/perl/texexec.pl'.
Examples:
scripts/context/perl/texexec.pl
scripts/context/ruby/examplex.rb
scripts/thumbpdf/thumbpdf.pl
The TDS does not specify a location for platform-dependent binary
executables, whether auxiliary or user-level.
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