The FreeBSD Operating System provides the Ports Collection to give users and administrators a simple way to install applications.

It is possible to configure a port before the building and installation. The configuration consists of a set of lists: checklists to enable or disable an option, radiolist to select at the most one option. Some list is mandatory, at least one option has to be active.

ports-mgmt/dialog4ports and ports-mgmt/portconfig allow to set up a port via an interactive Text User Interface. They are implicitly used by "make config", example editors/vim port:

# cd /usr/ports/editors/vim
# make config

The black and white theme can provide high-contrast accessibility for users with low vision, for portconfig >= 0.6:

# env NO_COLOR="YES" make config

Older versions:

# env PORTCONFIG_THEME="blackwhite" make config

PortOptsCLI

Unfortunately screen readers perform terrible with TUI, it is a well-known accessibility problem. FreeBSD provides tens of thousands of ports, port configuration is a key feature, unfortunately it is inaccessible to users with vision impairment.

PortOptsCLI (Port Options CLI) is an utility for setting the port options via a Command Line Interface. Properly PortOptsCLI provides commands to navigate lists (checklists and/or radiolists) and set up their items interactively also suitable for a speech synthesizer. Currently it is tested with the speech synthesizer of orca https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/Orca, FreeBSD provides a port and a package https://www.freshports.org/accessibility/orca/.

Preview https://twitter.com/alfsiciliano/status/1694858990440648711, video description and transcription are available in the Demo section later.

Getting Started

To install the port:

# cd /usr/ports/ports-mgmt/portoptscli/ && make install clean

or to install the package:

# pkg install portoptscli

After the installation, add to /etc/make.conf:

#DIALOG4PORTS?= ${LOCALBASE}/bin/dialog4ports
DIALOG4PORTS=${LOCALBASE}/bin/portoptscli

Now 'make config' uses portoptscli automatically. To start to set up a port are sufficient few commands:

h: specific port help if exist.
n: next element (header, list, option, end line).
p: previous element.
r: reprint current element.
space: enable or disable a checklist item, select a radiolist item.
a: abandon without saving.
q: save and quit.
All features are linked in the Documentation section later.

Demo

PortOptsCLI disables ECHO and ENTER. However this demo surrounds runtime commands and comments by square brackets in a new line for ease of understanding. To note some speech synthesizer can read the typed keys depending on the current setting.

# cd /usr/ports/editors/neovim
[ENTER]
# make config
[ENTER, start implicitly portoptscli]
Configuration for neovim-0.9.1 port, 1 list total 2 options.
[v]
Verbose mode on.
n: next, p: previous, r: reprint, space: select or unselect.
[n]
List 1. Generic options. Checklist with 2 options.
[n]
1 NLS: Native Language Support. Enabled.
[n]
2 PYNVIM: Enable support for plugins written in python. Disabled.
[SPACE]
option PYNVIM enabled.
[n]
End configuration. q: save and quit, a: abandon without saving, t: go to top.
[q]
Save and quit.
#

Another demo without commands and comments:

# cd /usr/ports/editors/vim
# make config
Configuration for vim-9.0.1671 port, 3 lists total 12 options.
Verbose mode on.
n: next, p: previous, r: reprint, space: select or unselect.
List 1. Generic options. Checklist with 3 options.
1 MAKE_JOBS: Enable parallel build. Disabled.
2 NLS: Native Language Support. Enabled.
3 XTERM_SAVE: Restore xterm screen after exit. Disabled.
option XTERM_SAVE enabled.
List 2. Optional language bindings. Checklist with 6 options.
1 LUA: Lua scripting language support. Disabled.
2 PERL: Perl scripting language support. Disabled.
3 PYTHON: Python bindings or support. Enabled.
4 RUBY: Ruby bindings or support. Disabled.
5 SCHEME: MzScheme (Racket) bindings. Disabled.
6 TCL: Tcl scripting language support. Disabled.
List 3. CTAGS. RadioList with 3 options, mandatory list select at least one option.
1 CTAGS_BASE: Use system ctags. Selected.
2 CTAGS_EXUBERANT: Use exctags instead of ctags.
3 CTAGS_UNIVERSAL: Use uctags instead of ctags.
option CTAGS_UNIVERSAL selected previous CTAGS_BASE unselected.
End configuration. q: save and quit, a: abandon without saving, t: go to top.
Save and quit.
#

Documentation

• Manual : $ man 1 portoptscli, online.
• README https://gitlab.com/alfix/portoptscli/-/raw/main/README.txt.

Tips

Verbose mode can be set by the PORTOPTSCLI_VERBOSE="YES" environment variable.

The c key prints the short commands list described in the Getting Started:

# make config
Configuration for neovim-0.9.1 port, 1 list total 2 options.
[c]
Short commands list.
h: specific port help if exist.
i: port and lists info.
n: next element.
p: previouse element.
r: reprint element.
space: select or unselect an option.
a: abandon without saving.
q: save and quit.
[a]

===> Options unchanged
#

Some port has a specific help file, if it exists PortOptsCLI informs at startup/top, h key to print it:

# cd /usr/ports/devel/pcre/
# make config
Configuration for pcre-8.45_3 port, 2 lists total 6 options.
The port has a help file, h: to print.
[h]
Help file /usr/ports/devel/pcre/pkg-help.
Using the heap rather than the stack for recursion (i.e., turning the
STACK_RECURSION knob off) is slower but less prone to segfaults from
stack exhaustion when matching certain patterns.
End help file.
[a]

===> Options unchanged

Suggestions, bug report, new ideas

• My contacts for private discussions.
• FreeBSD Accessibility mailing list to share and to track discussions in a public place.

Extras

FreeBSD also allows you to configure a port using environment variables or configuration files, both ways are described in the port(7) manual.

Resources and links for further information:

• Ports intro, online.
• Manual: $ man 7 ports, online.
• /usr/ports/README, online.
• FreeBSD Handbook "4.5. Using the Ports Collection", online.