Bash required for default installation description

[tbarnes4]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
The Installation documentation assumes you are using the bash shell for the Linux/Mac installation, even though this may not be true.

Describe the solution you'd like
Please make clear in the examples that they are using the bash shell version for the Linux/Mac installation and mention that there are alternatives. If easy to do so, provide example code for those alternatives.

[jordanpadams]

@tbarnes4 docs should be updated: https://nasa-pds.github.io/pds-deep-archive/

[jordanpadams]

closed per ac5638d

[tbarnes4]

I don't know if I see any change in the https://nasa-pds.github.io/pds-deep-archive/installation/index.html page.

The example code breaks down on the third line if you are not using bash: source $HOME/.virtualenvs/pds-deep-archive/bin/activate

If the user knows that there are alternate "activate" scripts, they could swap in what is needed. Why should I an end user assume I need to use bash to use this line of example code? Perhaps this just my ignorance, but I was hoping to have this ignorance accounted for in the guide to install the software.

I will also add that the first section "Requirements" lists lines of code to verify if you have an acceptable version of libxm12 and libxslt. Those lines of code do not work in csh, but do in bash.

[jordanpadams]

@tbarnes4 here is the note just below that command-line execution.

Note
The octothorp characters # above indicate comments and need not be typed in. The location of where you choose to create a Python virtual environment is entirely your preference; the above should be seen only as suggestions. Invoking command lines above are demonstrative; please consult your system documentation for the appropriate invocations for your operating system, command shell (or “terminal”), and so forth.

[tbarnes4]

How would a user know the line mentioned would not work without reading the activate code?

[jordanpadams]

@tbarnes4 let's try that again: https://nasa-pds.github.io/pds-deep-archive/installation/index.html

[tbarnes4]

I guess it works. Is my disconnect that this is a normal package, that has multiple activate files, that the user has not know they need to choose which to use? This is my first such package installing, and I have been assuming that EN has produced each part, being helpful to provide several alternate ways to install, but the documentation only assuming two methods (Linux/Mac and Windows). Thanks for your patience.

[jordanpadams]

@tbarnes4 sorry for all the confusion here. we do our best to provide as broad of coverage in documentation as possible, however, we do not have the resources to cover every permutation of shell + OS that exists out there. for these discipline node specific tools, we can provide support where needed when one of these permutations arise that does not fit with our documentation.

Additionally, Python virtual environments are a very common way of installing python packages. Here are some more details on using it in the future:

https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html
https://packaging.python.org/guides/installing-using-pip-and-virtual-environments/
https://realpython.com/python-virtual-environments-a-primer/

[tbarnes4]

@jordanpadams I completely understand and agree. I was not asking for additional environments, just clarification on how to use what was provided. But it seems it is just my ignorance on how a normal package is. Thanks!

[jordanpadams]

thanks @tbarnes4 . please let us know if you have any more questions