Installing from tar.gz question?

I'm attempting to install, on mac os x.3, components inorder to get Gimp running. One of the components needed is pkg-conf.

I'm learning how install from the command line:

When attempting install of various components I'm moving to the directory of pkg-conf and running command:

./configure

Subsequent components that require pkg-conf, when I attemp install, produce the following errors:

The pkg-config script could not be found. Make sure it is
*** in your path, or set the PKG_CONFIG environment variable
*** to the full path to pkg-config.

Example of trying to install glib:

$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local

Then I get this error:

configure: error: *** pkg-config not found.

I'm understanding that "a better" way to install is to use --prefix/dir/dir
but I don't understand which dir to set or use and I'm trying to understand how to set the PKG-CONFIG environment?

Any suggestions?

MacUnkie.

to set environment variable you would use

export PKG_CONFIG=value

or

PKG_CONFIG=value
export PKG_CONFIG

or maybe you need to set the value of your PATH variable to the location of this pkg-config as the error says

export PATH=path_to_pkg_config:$PATH

Do you mean that when I run the ./configure script for example:

glib, that I enter : ./configure --prefix=/dirof/pkg_config

No

I think you just need to set the environment variables for pkg-config on the command line so unix knows where to look for this componant. The OS needs to know where to find this and the only way it can find it is by looking at the $PATH or PKG_CONFIG variables.

I am not really familiar with pkg-config, though. So I could be telling you wrong

Which value? At the terminal, do I type exact "export PKG_CONFIG=value" or do I need to replace the term "value" with an actual value?

MacUnkie.

replace it with the path to pkg-config