Config file not automatically generated if symlink-bindir is only item in config

[bos]

(Imported from Trac #523, reported by guest on 2009-03-13)

I just spent an hour trying to make cabal-install work. After reading the README, I specified the symlink-bindir in the config file. The file did not exist so I created it. Then, when I executed an update, cabal complained that there was no specified repos. I searched and could not find what variable I needed to define in the config file. Then, after skimming the cabal source code, I noticed that the config file is automatically generated if it does not exist. So I deleted it and now all is fine because it was automatically generated.

So by following the README instructions by specifying a symlink-bindir variable in a config file I created, I was unable to make cabal work.

[bos]

(Imported comment by @dcoutts on 2009-03-13)

Thanks for the report. I've updated the README. That section now says:

Quickstart on Unix systems

As a convenience for users on Unix systems there is a
bootstrap.sh script which will download and install each
of the dependencies in turn.
$ ./bootstrap.sh
It will download and install the above three dependencies.
The script will install the library packages into
$HOME/.cabal/ and the cabal program will be installed
into $HOME/.cabal/bin/.
You then have two choices:

• put $HOME/.cabal/bin on your $PATH

• move the cabal program somewhere that is on your $PATH
  The next thing to do is to get the latest list of packages with:
  $ cabal update
  This will also create a default config file (if it does not
  already echo exist) at $HOME/.cabal/config
  By default cabal will install programs to $HOME/.cabal/bin.
  If you do not want to add this directory to your $PATH then
  you can change the setting in the config file, for example
  you could use
  symlink-bindir: $HOME/bin
  Quickstart on Windows systems

  For Windows users we provide a pre-compiled cabal.exe
  program. Just download it and put it somewhere on your
  %PATH%, for example
  C:\Program Files\Haskell\bin.

The next thing to do is to get the latest list of packages
with
cabal update
This will also create a default config file (if it does not
already echo exist) at
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\cabal\config
The bootstrap script will report something similar:

The 'cabal' program has been installed in $CABAL_BIN/
You should either add $CABAL_BIN to your PATH
or copy the cabal program to a directory that is on your PATH.
The first thing to do is to get the latest list of packages with:
  cabal update
This will also create a default config file (if it does not already
exist) at $HOME/.cabal/config
By default cabal will install programs to $HOME/.cabal/bin
If you do not want to add this directory to your PATH then you can
change the setting in the config file, for example you could use:
symlink-bindir: $HOME/bin
else

When it prints this for real, it expands the env vars, so it refers to real paths not $CABAL_BIN.