MacOS – Can’t change install location for package (.pkg) file in Installer

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I'm looking for a way to change the folder location that a .pkg installs to. When I run .pkg and Installer opens, it only gives me the option to install on my main disk.

How do I change this so I can specify where on my disk for the .pkg to install? Is there a 3rd party installer that would allow me to do this? Or would this require me to convert .pkg and edit the scripts? I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, and I wouldn't call myself an advanced user, but more of an above average user…

What I'm trying to do is move all my applications to ~/Applications rather than the default /Applications, but one of the apps I'm trying to move and reinstall is in a .pkg and I'm not sure how to run the .pkg and install the app and make sure all of its corresponding files correctly show that the app is in ~/Applications.

Best Answer

Some installers allow custom install locations in the install wizard.

However, if not, you can use the excellent third-party installer app, Pacifist.

Pacifist lets you browse the contents of installer packages, select components to install and choose install destinations.

However, if an installer package contains files that rely on the app being in /Applications, or if it contains scripts that pre- or post-process files, there isn't an easy way of configuring things to work with a different location. Pacifist does let you have a look at such scripts inside the package, though.

It's more likely that the app itself requires other components to be in fixed locations, and that after installing normally, you can move the app to another location, particularly ~/Applications, which is an OS designated location for apps.

Related Solutions

MacOS – How to install framework (from pkg file) in a non-standard location

Generally speaking, you can only relocate a package (that is, install it into a different directory) that has been built with relocation in mind.

If the package supports it, it can be relocated with the command line equivalent of Installer.app, conveniently called installer, with option -target (from man installer):

The target volume is specified with the -target parameter (-tgt is accepted as a synonym).

The argument to -target is:

A volume mount point (/Volumes/HDD), device node (/dev/disk0s5) or volume UUID (376C4046-083E-334F-AF08-62FAFBC4E352), for example:
```
installer -pkg InstallMe.pkg -target / 
```
Any of the values returned by -dominfo (LocalSystem or CurrentUserHomeDirectory), for example:
```
installer -pkg InstallMe.pkg -target CurrentUserHomeDirectory
```

(As you see, the latter command looks very promising. It would install InstallMe.pkg in the hierarchy of the home directory of the current user.)

In our specific case, unfortunately, ActiveState's Tcl package wasn't designed to be relocated:

It doesn't return any information for -dominfo:

$ installer -verbose -dominfo -pkg ActiveTcl-8.6.pkg
Domain information:
NoDomainsAvailable

Although the pkg file can be successfully installed on another volume:

$ sudo installer -verbose -pkg ActiveTcl-8.6.pkg -target /Volumes/DISK2GO/
installer: Package name is ActiveState ActiveTcl 8.6.0.0.296563
installer: Installing at base path /Volumes/DISK2GO
(...)   
#
installer: Writing files….....
(...)
installer: The software was successfully installed......
installer: The install was successful.
#

as can be seen here:

enter image description here

it doesn't work:

$ cd /Volumes/DISK2GO/usr/local/bin/
$ ./tclsh8.6
dyld: Library not loaded:
/Library/Frameworks/Tcl.framework/Versions/8.6/Tcl
  Referenced from: /Volumes/DISK2GO/usr/local/bin/./tclsh8.6
  Reason: image not found
Trace/BPT trap: 5
$  ./tclselect 
-bash: ./tclselect: /usr/local/bin/tclsh: bad interpreter: No such file or directory

The reason is that scripts and compiled tools use and are linked to /Library/Frameworks:

$ cd /Volumes/DISK2GO/usr/local/bin/
$ otool -L tclsh8.6 
 tclsh8.6:
 /Library/Frameworks/Tcl.framework/Versions/8.6/Tcl (compatibility version 8.6.0, current version 8.6.0)
(...)
$ grep Library tclselect 
#  /Library/Frameworks
# installation. I.e. a Tcl installed in '/Library/Frameworks' and
return /Library/Frameworks/Tcl.framework/Versions

If you wish to use ActiveState's Tcl you must install the package in its default location.

And as far as I can tell, it won't conflict with the installed Tcl framework:

OS X own framework is installed in /System/Library/Frameworks/Tk.framework/, some binaries in /usr/bin.
ActiveState's Tcl installs in /Library/Frameworks/Tcl.framework, /Library/Frameworks/Tk.framework, /Library/Tcl and /usr/local/bin (for a full listing, double click the pkg file and select File>ShowFiles).

MacBook – How to install an application from a .pkg without admin password

You might be able to extract the main .app file from the .pkg using "Pacifist", downloaded from http://www.charlessoft.com/

Depending on what system settings are updated (or, if any global libraries or frameworks are installed) by the installer, this process may or may not work completely.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – How to install framework (from pkg file) in a non-standard location

MacBook – How to install an application from a .pkg without admin password

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