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# 12.6 Writing something after `bsd.port.mk`

Do not write anything after the `.include <bsd.port.mk>` line. It usually can be avoided by including `bsd.port.pre.mk` somewhere in the middle of your `Makefile` and `bsd.port.post.mk` at the end.

> Note: You need to include either the `bsd.port.pre.mk`/`bsd.port.post.mk` pair or `bsd.port.mk` only; do not mix these two usages.

`bsd.port.pre.mk` only defines a few variables, which can be used in tests in the `Makefile`, `bsd.port.post.mk` defines the rest.

Here are some important variables defined in `bsd.port.pre.mk` (this is not the complete list, please read `bsd.port.mk` for the complete list).

Variable | Description
--- | ---
`ARCH` | The architecture as returned by `uname -m` (e.g., `i386`)
`OPSYS` | The operating system type, as returned by `uname -s` (e.g., `FreeBSD`)
`OSREL` | The release version of the operating system (e.g., `2.1.5` or `2.2.7`)
`OSVERSION` | The numeric version of the operating system; the same as `__FreeBSD_version`.
`PORTOBJFORMAT` | The object format of the system (`elf` or `aout`; note that for ``modern'' versions of FreeBSD, `aout` is deprecated.)
`LOCALBASE` | The base of the ``local'' tree (e.g., `/usr/local/`)
`PREFIX` | Where the port installs itself (see more on `PREFIX`).

> Note: If you have to define the variables `USE_IMAKE`, `USE_X_PREFIX`, or `MASTERDIR`, do so before including `bsd.port.pre.mk`.

Here are some examples of things you can write after `bsd.port.pre.mk`:

    # no need to compile lang/perl5 if perl5 is already in system
    .if ${OSVERSION} > 300003
    BROKEN= perl is in system
    .endif

    # only one shlib version number for ELF
    .if ${PORTOBJFORMAT} == "elf"
    TCL_LIB_FILE=  ${TCL_LIB}.${SHLIB_MAJOR}
    .else
    TCL_LIB_FILE=  ${TCL_LIB}.${SHLIB_MAJOR}.${SHLIB_MINOR}
    .endif

    # software already makes link for ELF, but not for a.out
    post-install:
    .if ${PORTOBJFORMAT} == "aout"
           ${LN} -sf liblinpack.so.1.0 ${PREFIX}/lib/liblinpack.so
    .endif

You did remember to use tab instead of spaces after `BROKEN=` and `TCL_LIB_FILE=`, did you not? :-).

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