The MAN[1-9LN] variables will automatically add any manpages to pkg-plist (this means you must not list manpages in the pkg-plist—see generating PLIST for more). It also makes the install stage automatically compress or uncompress manpages depending on the setting of NO_MANCOMPRESS in /etc/make.conf.
If your port tries to install multiple names for manpages using symlinks or hardlinks, you must use the MLINKS variable to identify these. The link installed by your port will be destroyed and recreated by bsd.port.mk to make sure it points to the correct file. Any manpages listed in MLINKS must not be listed in the pkg-plist.
To specify whether the manpages are compressed upon installation, use the MANCOMPRESSED variable. This variable can take three values, yes, no and maybe. yes means manpages are already installed compressed, no means they are not, and maybe means the software already respects the value of NO_MANCOMPRESS so bsd.port.mk does not have to do anything special.
MANCOMPRESSED is automatically set to yes if USE_IMAKE is set and NO_INSTALL_MANPAGES is not set, and to no otherwise. You do not have to explicitly define it unless the default is not suitable for your port.
If your port anchors its man tree somewhere other than PREFIX, you can use the MANPREFIX to set it. Also, if only manpages in certain sections go in a non-standard place, such as some perl modules ports, you can set individual man paths using MANsectPREFIX (where sect is one of 1-9, L or N).
If your manpages go to language-specific subdirectories, set the name of the languages to MANLANG. The value of this variable defaults to "" (i.e., English only).
Here is an example that puts it all together.
MAN1= foo.1
MAN3= bar.3
MAN4= baz.4
MLINKS= foo.1 alt-name.8
MANLANG= "" ja
MAN3PREFIX= ${PREFIX}/share/foobar
MANCOMPRESSED= yes
This states that six files are installed by this port;
${MANPREFIX}/man/man1/foo.1.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/ja/man1/foo.1.gz
${PREFIX}/share/foobar/man/man3/bar.3.gz
${PREFIX}/share/foobar/man/ja/man3/bar.3.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/man4/baz.4.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/ja/man4/baz.4.gz
Additionally ${MANPREFIX}/man/man8/alt-name.8.gz may or may not be installed by your port. Regardless, a symlink will be made to join the foo(1) manpage and alt-name(8) manpage.
If only some manpages are translated, you can use several variables dynamically created from MANLANG content:
MANLANG= "" de ja MAN1= foo.1 MAN1_EN= bar.1 MAN3_DE= baz.3
This translates into this list of files:
${MANPREFIX}/man/man1/foo.1.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/de/man1/foo.1.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/ja/man1/foo.1.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/man1/bar.1.gz
${MANPREFIX}/man/de/man3/baz.3.gz