void-packages/README

pkgfs - Build packages from s(cratch|ource)

It is a simple package system manager that uses Xstow to allow packages
to be available at a master directory.

Multiple versions of a package can be installed, because they can be enabled
or disabled at the master directory anytime, to e.g allow testing different
versions of the same package by "stowning" or "unstowning" them.

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 HOW TO USE IT
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Once you download it, you should edit the configuration file located at the
pkgfs directory. By default it uses the pkgfs directory in your $HOME.

If PKGFS_CONFIG_FILE is not set or specified from the command line with the
-c flag, it will first try to use the default location at
/usr/local/etc/pkgfs.conf, and as last resort in current directory.

Once that you read the "pkgfs.conf" file and configured it, you can start
installing packages by using the command:

	$ pkgfs.sh install glib

Please note that it's assumed that PKGFS_TEMPLATESDIR is properly defined
and actually contains valid template files.

While installing your first package, if pkgfs couldn't find the Xstow program
specified at the configuration file with PKGFS_XSTOW_CMD, the Xstow package
will be installed and "stowned".

If the package is properly installed, it will be "stowned" automatically.
``stowned<65><64> means that this package is available in the master directory,
on which ``Xstow<6F><77> has created links from DESTDIR/<pkgname>.

To remove a currently installed (and stowned) package, you can use:

	$ pkgfs.sh remove glib

Please note that when you remove it, the package will also be removed
from PKGFS_DESTDIR and previously "unstowned".

pkgfs uses some db(1) btree files, to record what packages are currently
"stowned". Once you install successfully or stown a package, the package
will be registered in PKGFS_DESTDIR/.pkgfs-registered-pkg.db.

While "unstowning" a package, it won't be available anymore in the master
directory and therefore it probably won't work if used from
PKGFS_DESTDIR/<pkgname>.

Summary, to stow an already installed package (into PKGFS_DESTDIR/<pkgname>):

	$ pkgfs.sh stow glib

and to unstow an already installed (stowned) package:

	$ pkgfs.sh unstow glib

You can also print some stuff about any template, e.g:

	$ pkgfs.sh info glib

To list installed (stowned) packages, use this:

	$ pkgfs.sh list

To only extract the distfile, without configuring/building/installing:

	$ pkgfs.sh -i install foo

To not remove the build directory after successful installation:

	$ pkgfs.sh -C install blah

To only fetch the distfile:

	$ pkgfs.sh -e install blah

To only install the package, _without_ stowning it into the master directory:

	$ pkgfs.sh -i install blob

That's all for now folks. I hope you find it useful, as I do.

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 PERFORMANCE
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pkgfs is really fast, trust me. That was one of my reasons to make my own
pkgsrc/ports alike system.

If you want benchmarks, here is one; building libX11 (all deps installed)
with pkgfs:

	217.00s real   103.23s user    29.96s system

versus pkgsrc (make install clean):

	229.22s real   112.75s user    54.79s system

The difference in this package might not be too big as I might think... but
anyway, 12 seconds faster is not that bad.

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 HOW TO MAKE TEMPLATES
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A template in pkgfs is just a small text file with a few variables that are
required to build the package. pkgfs should be easy to work on, and
making templates shouldn't be too hard... if you have made any pkgsrc, it
should be trivial.

The required variables are: pkgname, build_type, extract_sufx, url
and checksum. Also there are some optional, like make_cmd, wrksrc,
configure_args, configure_env, make_build_args, make_install_args, etc.

Please take a look at the example.tmpl file located in the templates/
directory.

Also to help you creating templates and dependencies, there's a script
that will ask you some required information and will create the template
file once the distfile is downloaded: mktmpl.sh.

Try it and let me know if you have any problem or suggestion.

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	Juan Romero Pardines <xtraeme@gmail.com>