Cargo install documentation should no longer mention default location

[manfredbrandl]

Problem

cargo install without --path is no longer supported. cargo --list explains cargo install as "Install a Rust binary. Default location is $HOME/.cargo/bin". Please replace "Default location ... " with "Requires --path".

Steps

cargo --list ; cargo install

Possible Solution(s)

No response

Notes

No response

Version

cargo 1.74.1 (ecb9851 2023-10-18)

[ehuss]

Thanks for the report! I believe there may be a misunderstanding of what it means by "default location". That is the default location where the binaries will be installed into. That can be overridden with --root. The --path option is to set where cargo installs from.

Would it be clearer if the text instead said this?

Install a Rust binary. Default installs into $HOME/.cargo/bin

FWIW, I'm on the fence as to whether or not it is appropriate to even include that text at all. It was added in #6354 due to some confusion, but I wouldn't expect this tiny bit of text be the appropriate way to learn what the command does.

[weihanglo]

Instead, I think we might want to revert #6354. People wanting to learn more than the one-line explanation from cargo --list should run cargo install --help or even cargo help install.

[manfredbrandl]

cargo install tells me:
error: Using cargo install to install the binaries for the package in current working directory is no longer supported, use cargo install --path . instead. Use cargo build if you want to simply build the package.
So there is no default location to install into any more.

cargo install —help tells me:
…
Usage: cargo install [OPTIONS] [crate]...
…
But there is no install without —path.

cargo help install tells me:
…
The installation root is determined, in order of precedence:
…
• $HOME/.cargo
…
But there is no install, not into existing $HOME/.cargo

Did I miss anything or does the documentation describe behavior cargo does not deliver?

[weihanglo]

From cargo help install:

…all executables are installed into the installation root’s bin folder

and

There are multiple sources from which a crate can be installed. The default location is crates.io but the --git, --path, and --registry flags can change this source.

Should be fairly clear I guess.

-path option in cargo install defines the "source" your binary would be installed "from". --path has nothing to do with the default installation root a.k.a. the installation destination.

FWIW, I just posted a PR to clarify it a bit #13205.