[Haskell-cafe] Cabal: error on configure

[Duncan Coutts]

On Tue, 2008-10-07 at 15:50 -0400, David Barton wrote:
> OK, I suspect this is a real newbie error, but please have mercy.  I have 
> downloaded and installed cabal (at least it responds to the --help command 
> from the command line).  Yet when I do, say (to give a real example):
> 
> cabal configure parameterized_ data
>
> (having done he fetch)  I get this error:
> 
> cabal.exe: Using 'build-type" Custom' but there is no Setup.hs or Setup.lhs 
> script.'
> 
> When I download the package manually and look, there is a perfectly 
> servicable Setup.hs script, which I call manually.
> 
> So what gives?

You mean to run:

cabal install parameterized-data

"cabal configure" expects to be run inside the build tree. It's looking
for a Setup.hs in the current directory. The configure command is for
developers working with their own packages locally, rather than for
working with released packages directly from hackage.

There are basically two sets of commands, those for working with
released packages by name, and those for working with a local package in
the current directory. I'll tried to make that clearer in the
cabal-install README, and perhaps in the --help output in future.

Duncan