xfconf failed to compile on Ventura arm64, and a potential workaround

[philberthfz (Philip LeBlond)]

There are no compiled binary packages for xfconf available yet. When macports attempts to compile, compilation fails with the message: Error: Failed to configure xfconf: configure failure: command execution failed.

It appears that the configuration step fails to run aclocal at the appropriate point.

I have identified a possible workaround, and am sharing it here in the hopes that I will be able to find it on google the next time I inevitably need to do this again. Given that the package itself appears unmaintained, consider this a best-effort workaround for anybody else pulling their hair out over this and that further problems will probably continue to exist. Consider also that I have sample size of exactly one install on one M1 Mac mini, so users on other machines with other software configurations will undoubtably encounter other issues - your mileage will vary.

Doing the following produced a probably-functional copy of xfconf for me:

1) Manually navigating to the appropriate work directory (/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_xfce_xfconf/xfconf/work/xfconf-4.16.0)

2) sudo aclocal

3) sudo /opt/local/bin/xdt-autogen --prefix=/opt/local --disable-visibility

4) sudo make && sudo make install

5) sudo port -f activate xfconf

At least, this appears to generate a working xfconf. At the very least, other packages which depend on xfconf will build/install with no more errors than they otherwise would exhibit.