[Debian-olpc-devel] Fwd: Packaging eLearning XHTML editor (eXe) for debian

[Mike Dawson]

Hi,

Did you try downloading the source file and using the dpkg-buildpackage
command?

http://sourceforge.net/projects/exe/files/ - get
http://sourceforge.net/projects/exe/files/eXe-1.04/exe-1.04.0.3532-source.tgz/download

Then there is a folder called debian.  In the file rules change the
PYTHON_VERSIONS line to PYTHON_VERSIONS = 2.6 (What version of Ubuntu /
Debian are you running?)

Then change the control file as mentioned.

Now just enter the exe folder, run dpkg-buildpackage, et voila...  You
will get an error with a function (in nevow) named with because Python
2.6 has this enabled automatically.  Just rename it - it's not used and
shouldn't be named that way.  Now make the package again.  It's
definitely not a good idea to build for <= Python2.5 - support for that
is going rather rapidly.

If you have Firefox 3.6 then you should be fine.  Actually the browser
path is set in the exe.conf file in normal operation (~/.exe).  The
workaround as one can find googling around a bit is to download an old
version of Firefox, unzip it somewhere, and then put the full path to
that in the exe.conf file.

XULRunner is the foundation of the UI - so just changing it won't be so
easy as far as I can see.  As I mentioned using FF 3.6 is relatively OK
- probably much easier to find out why it's showing one menu it
shouldn't be than to change the whole system.  IMO depending on Firefox
is no big deal - most people have it installed.  Even if they don't -
it's just an open source component.

Actually Exe starts it's own web server by default on port 51325 (can be
changed in the config) - typing localhost:51325 in the browser address
bar should bring something even when it doesn't start Firefox itself.
It will though not be usable because it will not have open file
permissions etc.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

-Mike

On Sat, 2010-08-07 at 16:49 -0400, David Farning wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I tried packaging eXe for debian.
> > The package already had a script exe/installs/debian/ubuntu/make.py to
> > successfully create the deb package for ubuntu.
> > To create debian package, I renamed ubuntu folder as debian, changed
> > debian/changelog.in by renaming the version ( removed ubuntu from it ) and
> > replaced
> > cl.write("%s (%s-ubuntu1) unstable; urgency=low\n" %
> >                  (exepkg, version.version))
> > with
> > cl.write("%s (%s-1) unstable; urgency=low\n" %
> >                  (exepkg, version.version))
> 
> Yes that looks correct.
> 
> > in exe/installs/debian/ubuntu/make.py
> > But on installing and running exe from the terminal, it calls firefox, which
> > isn't installed on my system, so it didn't start in the web browser.
> > OUTPUT:
> > $ exe %f
> > sh: firefox: not found
> > sh: firefox: not found
> > Welcome to eXe: the eLearning XHTML editor
> 
> One thing to consider is that EXELearning is pretty old.  I think the
> official packaging was last updated 3 years ago.  Some options, try to
> install an old firefox and see it it runs with that?
> 
> Another, probably related issue, is that exelearning depends on
> XULrunner which is a older mozilla technology.  Ubuntu support for
> XULrunner is rather weak.  I am not sure of the status in Debian
> Unstable.
> 
> Short term solution is probably a work around.  Long term solution is
> probably to update from XUL runner to webkit.
> 
> > The browser is being set as firefox in
> > exe/engine/config.py ( line 74 )
> > --------------------------------------------
> > self.browserPath = Path("firefox")
> > --------------------------------------------
> >
> > and is being called in
> > exe/webui/browser.py ( line 117 )
> > --------------------------------------------
> > if sys.platform[:5] == u"linux":
> >         setBrowserVersion(config.browserPath, config.configDir/profile)
> > --------------------------------------------
> >
> > I tried replacing firefox with chromium-browser, that launches chromium, but
> > doesn't start exelearning.
> > Please let me know if the build process is correct ( I modified
> > changelog.in and make.py only ) and if it could be modified so that it
> > detects the installed browser and start exelearning in it.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Kandarp.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Debian-olpc-devel at lists.alioth.debian.org
> > http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/debian-olpc-devel
> >
> >