Re: How to contribute new package to GNU ELPA?

[Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

stardiviner [2020-12-17 20:11:39] wrote:
> As this issue https://github.com/stardiviner/kiwix.el/issues/3 suggested.
> I would like to contribute my package kiwix.el to GNU ELPA.

I've just started to look at it.  I have done some of the preliminary
work, but there are some problems to solve:

1- The package uses `request` which is neither in Emacs nor in GNU ELPA.
2- The PNG images which are useful for the Homepage make the package
   much larger for no good reason, so I think we should add
   a `.elpaignore` file so as not to include those PNG imagines in the
   package's tarball.

3- Even with `request`, compiling the package fails because
   `org-kiwix.el` requirex `kiwix` and loading `kiwix` signal an error:

      (file-missing "Opening directory" "Aucun fichier ou dossier de ce type" "<HOMEDIR>/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix")

   So, I think `file-accessible-directory-p` is not the function you
   want to use.

The patch below fixes some of those problems, but I still get warnings
about a missing .www.kiwix... directory when I load the file, which can
happen even if the user never intended to actually use any of that
package's functionality: those warnings should be delayed to when we
actually call some of the package's functions.

The main problem, tho, is the `request` dependency.  There are two
possible solutions to that: either we add `request` to GNU ELPA, or we
rewrite the code so as not to use `request` (IIUC `request` is
a reasonably thing wrapper above the `url` package, so it might not be
too bad to do).  The best course is probably to add `request` to
GNU ELPA.  Could you look into that, see how much work it would take to
include `request` in GNU ELPA?


        Stefan


diff --git a/kiwix.el b/kiwix.el
index 5b765b5d3c..377772ee2e 100644
--- a/kiwix.el
+++ b/kiwix.el
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-;;; kiwix.el --- Searching offline Wikipedia through Kiwix.
-;;; -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+;;; kiwix.el --- Searching offline Wikipedia through Kiwix.  -*- lexical-binding: t; -*-
+;; -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
 ;; Copyright (C) 2019-2020  Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 ;; URL: https://github.com/stardiviner/kiwix.el
 ;; Created: 23th July 2016
 ;; Version: 1.0.0
-;; Package-Requires: ((emacs "24.4") (cl-lib "0.5") (request "0.3.0"))
+;; Package-Requires: ((emacs "24.4") (request "0.3.0"))
 
 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs.
 
@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@
 
 ;;; Commentary:
 
-;;; This currently only works for Linux, not tested for Mac OS X and Windows.
+;; This currently only works for Linux, not tested for Mac OS X and Windows.
 
-;;; Kiwix installation
+;;;; Kiwix installation
 ;;
 ;; http://www.kiwix.org
 
-;;; Config:
+;;;; Config:
 ;;
 ;; (use-package kiwix
 ;;   :ensure t
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 ;;               kiwix-server-port 8080
 ;;               kiwix-default-library "wikipedia_zh_all_2015-11.zim"))
 
-;;; Usage:
+;;;; Usage:
 ;;
 ;; 1. [M-x kiwix-launch-server] to launch Kiwix server.
 ;; 2. [M-x kiwix-at-point] to search the word under point or the region selected string.
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 (require 'subr-x)
 (require 'thingatpt)
 (require 'json)
-(if (featurep 'ivy) (require 'ivy))
+(if (featurep 'ivy) (require 'ivy))     ;FIXME: That's a no-op!
 
 (defgroup kiwix-mode nil
   "Kiwix customization options."
@@ -67,19 +67,16 @@
 (defcustom kiwix-server-use-docker nil
   "Using Docker container for kiwix-serve or not?"
   :type 'boolean
-  :safe #'booleanp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'booleanp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-server-port 8000
   "Specify default kiwix-serve server port."
   :type 'number
-  :safe #'numberp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'numberp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-server-url (format "http://127.0.0.1:%s" kiwix-server-port)
   "Specify Kiwix server URL."
-  :type 'string
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :type 'string)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-server-command
   (cond
@@ -90,44 +87,40 @@
    ((string-equal system-type "windows-nt")
     (warn "You need to specify Windows Kiwix path. And send a PR to my repo.")))
   "Specify kiwix server command."
-  :type 'string
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :type 'string)
 
 (defun kiwix-dir-detect ()
   "Detect Kiwix profile directory exist."
-  (let ((kiwix-dir (concat (getenv "HOME") "/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix")))
-    (if (file-accessible-directory-p kiwix-dir)
+  (let ((kiwix-dir "~/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix"))
+    (if (file-directory-p kiwix-dir)
         kiwix-dir
-      (warn "ERROR: Kiwix profile directory \".www.kiwix.org/kiwix\" is not accessible."))))
+      (warn "ERROR: Kiwix profile directory \"~/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix\" is not accessible.")
+      nil)))
 
 (defcustom kiwix-default-data-profile-name
   (when (kiwix-dir-detect)
-    (car (directory-files
-          (concat (getenv "HOME") "/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix") nil ".*\\.default")))
+    (car (directory-files "~/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix" nil ".*\\.default")))
   "Specify the default Kiwix data profile path."
-  :type 'string
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :type 'string)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-default-data-path
   (when (kiwix-dir-detect)
-    (concat (getenv "HOME") "/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix/" kiwix-default-data-profile-name))
+    (expand-file-name kiwix-default-data-profile-name
+                      "~/.www.kiwix.org/kiwix/"))
   "Specify the default Kiwix data path."
   :type 'string
-  :safe #'stringp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'stringp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-default-library-path (file-name-directory
                                        (concat kiwix-default-data-path "/data/library/library.xml"))
   "Kiwix libraries path."
   :type 'string
-  :safe #'stringp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'stringp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-default-completing-read 'ivy
   "Kiwix default completion frontend. Currently Ivy ('ivy) and Helm ('helm) both supported."
   :type 'symbol
-  :safe #'symbolp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'symbolp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-default-browser-function browse-url-browser-function
   "Set default browser for open kiwix query result URL."
@@ -139,8 +132,7 @@
           (const :tag "Google Chrome web browser" browse-url-chrome)
           (const :tag "Conkeror web browser" browse-url-conkeror)
           (const :tag "xwidget browser" xwidget-webkit-browse-url))
-  :safe #'symbolp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'symbolp)
 
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun kiwix--get-library-name (file)
@@ -179,19 +171,16 @@ Like in function `kiwix-ajax-search-hints'.")
 (defcustom kiwix-default-library "wikipedia_en_all.zim"
   "The default kiwix library when library fragment in link not specified."
   :type 'string
-  :safe #'stringp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'stringp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-search-interactively t
   "`kiwix-at-point' search interactively."
   :type 'boolean
-  :safe #'booleanp
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :safe #'booleanp)
 
 (defcustom kiwix-mode-prefix nil
   "Specify kiwix-mode keybinding prefix before loading."
-  :type 'kbd
-  :group 'kiwix-mode)
+  :type 'kbd)
 
 ;; update kiwix server url and port
 (defun kiwix-server-url-update ()
@@ -258,7 +247,7 @@ Like in function `kiwix-ajax-search-hints'.")
                 (when (string-equal (cdr error-thrown) "exited abnormally with code 7\n")
                   (warn "kiwix.el failed to connect to host. exited abnormally with status code: 7."))))
       :success (cl-function
-                (lambda (&key data &allow-other-keys)
+                (lambda (&key _data &allow-other-keys) ;FIXME: Why not `&rest _'?
                   (setq kiwix-server-available? t)))
       :status-code '((404 . (lambda (&rest _) (message (format "Endpoint %s does not exist." url))))
                      (500 . (lambda (&rest _) (message (format "Error from  %s." url))))))))
@@ -290,12 +279,12 @@ list and return a list result."
           (mapcar 'cdar data)))))
 
 ;;;###autoload
-(defun kiwix-at-point (&optional interactively)
+(defun kiwix-at-point ()
   "Search for the symbol at point with `kiwix-query'.
 
 Or When prefix argument `INTERACTIVELY' specified, then prompt
 for query string and library interactively."
-  (interactive "P")
+  (interactive)
   (unless (kiwix-ping-server)
     (kiwix-launch-server))
   (if kiwix-server-available?
@@ -368,7 +357,6 @@ for query string and library interactively."
   :require 'kiwix-mode
   :init-value nil
   :lighter " Kiwix"
-  :group 'kiwix-mode
   :keymap kiwix-mode-map
   (if kiwix-mode (kiwix-mode-enable) (kiwix-mode-disable)))