Forum OpenACS Q&A: How to make package available in pulldown menu

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1: How to make package available in pulldown menu
Posted by Tyge Cawthon on 07/03/25 11:46 PM
I did a dumb thing.
From Main I Installed packages using "Install more packages" and selecting local. This operation automatically placed these applications in the Main application list.

I met for these applications to be only available for sub sites.

As such, I deleted the applications from main thinking I would be able to select these applications in the sub site using "Add new application".

This is not the case. I do not see them in the "Add new application" pull down menu.

I see the applications in the path /var/www/oacs-5-10-0/packages

However, if I select "Install more packages" and select install from repository or local these packages did not appear.

These packages do appear in the "Manage Installed Packages".

Inside Package Manager I did try "view file" "watch files" "reload change" with no success.

Any suggestions on how I can reactive these packages to appear in the "Add new application" ?

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2: Re: How to make package available in pulldown menu (response to 1)
Posted by Gustaf Neumann on 07/04/25 04:43 PM

There’s an important distinction in OpenACS between installing packages and making them available for use, commonly referred to as "mounting" packages. A single installed package (e.g., file-storage) can be mounted multiple times, within the same or different subsites of the same OpenACS instance. This allows for flexible reuse and instantiation of the same functionality in various parts of your site.

Similarly, when removing packages, it's crucial to differentiate between:

  • Unmounting a package: This simply removes the package instance from a specific location (e.g., a subsite), but retains its data and definitions in the database.
  • Uninstalling a package: This removes the data model and associated data from the database. However, the source files on disk are not deleted, as doing so might erase local modifications or site-specific customizations.

⚠️ Note: After uninstalling packages, a server restart is typically required to fully clean up internal state and reload the configuration.

Also, keep in mind that some packages are service packages. These are designed to provide backend services and cannot be mounted, so they won’t appear in the mounting interface.

To better understand your issue, could you provide an example of a package you’ve unmounted or removed?

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3: Re: How to make package available in pulldown menu (response to 1)
Posted by Tyge Cawthon on 07/07/25 07:51 AM
Sorry to have wasted your time, again.
It’s been awhile since I used the available packages that I just notice now all the interface changes.

Example, location of mounting and un-mounting application.

Since I really did delete the packages, I decided to another fresh install. lol…. I am good at these fresh installs.

If you ever need some specific testing done, please let me know .

Thanks again - we can close this item.