EiffelOnMac

This page gives you an overview about how to get EiffelStudio running on your Mac.

Installation

Using MacPorts

The officially supported versions of Mac OS X are 10.4 and 10.5.

MacPorts is a great tool that allows you to use many Unix applications on the Mac. We have created a package in the MacPorts repository that allows you to to install Eiffel Studio with all dependencies in a convenient way. First, install MacPorts as described here.

Now simply type:

sudo port install eiffelstudio64

and you're ready to go (after a few hours compiling that is :)). Compiling on a new Intel Mac reportedly takes about an hour. An old 800 MHz PowerPC takes about seven hours.

A fairly recent development package is available under the name eiffelstudio65. (Both packages can be installed simultaneously)

Starting EiffelStudio

Simply navigate to /Applications/MacPorts/Eiffel<nn> and double click the EiffelStudio icon.

Alternatively, you can also start EiffelStudio from the command line by entering the command 'estudio' or use the command-line eiffel compiler 'ec'.

Upgrading

When a new version of EiffelStudio is available, you can upgrade like so:

sudo port selfupdate
sudo port upgrade eiffelstudio

Be prepared for another long wait while it compiles. You can do likewise for eiffelstudio-devel, of course.

Beware that this may not get the latest release if the Port file has not been updated yet. Even after it has been updated, it may take a week for it to propagate to MacPorts. If you can't wait, here's how to get the latest version immediately:

1. Edit your local copy of the Portfile: sudo port edit eiffelstudio. Change minor_version and version. Save.
2. Tell MacPorts to use the local copy of your Portfile: cd /opt/local/var/macports/sources/rsync.macports.org/release/ports (assuming this is where your ports are), then type portindex. It will print hundreds of "Adding port" messages, one of which should be lang/eiffelstudio.
3. Find out the checksums for the new version: sudo port -d upgrade eiffelstudio.
4. Edit your local Portfile again, substituting the checksums.
5. Now sudo port upgrade eiffelstudio should upgrade to the version described in your local Portfile.

FAQ

I get a crash with a Permission denied: Operating system error, how do I fix it?

Delete the .ec directory in your home directory.

I get a linking error with precompiles on PPC, why is that ?

Precompiles did not work on the Mac before EiffelStudio 6.4 due to a limitation of the linker. To work around this issue don't use precompiles on Macs.

Note: When you create a project, EiffelStudio will ask if you want to perform precompiles – say no. Then disable the precompiles for this project through the Project>Project menu. In the 'Groups>Precompile' section, remove all precompiles (eg., base_pre). Select the 'base_pre' precompile and click the red cross delete tool at the top of the window.

Note: Precompiling the Eiffel libraries after installing the Port is possible, there are security policies to take into account. The Port installs EiffelStudio under the system's /Application/MacPorts directory and not the user ~/Application/MacPorts. Due of this, EiffelStudio must be run as a super user and the precompiles build using the Tools > Precompile Wizard option. Alternatively, alter the base installation path when requesting to install the Port.

Hints

• Use Helvetica 12 as Editor font. If you prefer a smaller font, use Hei 10.
• Pick and Drop works with Apple-key + mouse click.
• To set up the correct (default) browsers use "open" as your command-line browser in Tools>Preferences...

• To run the ec compiler from your shell, set up variables similar to these (e.g. in ~/.profile):

# Setting variables for EiffelStudio.
export ISE_EIFFEL=/Applications/MacPorts/Eiffel61
export ISE_PLATFORM=macosx-ppc (or macosx-x86)
export ISE_PROJECTS=$HOME
export ES_PATH=$ISE_EIFFEL/studio/spec/$ISE_PLATFORM/bin
export PATH=$ES_PATH:$PATH

• The F10 and F11 debugging shortcuts conflict with the standard Exposé keys. Here are some workarounds:
  • Use the toolbar instead.
  • Reassign these shortcuts in EiffelStudio (Tools>Preferences).
  • Reassign the Exposé keys in System Preferences.
• The version of X11 installed with Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.0 and 10.5.1 does not work. The 10.5.2 and later updates are probably ok, however, but if you're having problems have a look at http://trac.macosforge.org/projects/xquartz. For more details, see http://www.eiffelroom.com/blog/paulbates/a_little_help_for_mac_users which pre-dates the release of 10.5.2.