gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

[Phil Sainty]

I've written some libraries that I'd like to propose as additions
to GNU ELPA (or otherwise contribute to GNU Emacs).

https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/DelightedModes
https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SoLong
https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SqlUpcase

(and other projects which are in rather less-functional states.)

My preference would be to maintain them as external git repositories
so that I can push work-in-progress without bothering the emacs-devel
list, and only notify emacs-devel once I was happy for a new version
to be looked at.

I would prefer not to have to use some other git host, however.
It would be nice if the upstream repositories were hosted at gnu.org.

http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/plain/README does
discuss submodules and external repositories, but doesn't make any
suggestion with respect to a gnu.org hosted solution. It would be
helpful if this scenario was covered.

Is the sensible thing to register the projects at
https://savannah.gnu.org/register/ ?

I can see a couple of relevant examples in the externals listing:

  ("auctex" :external "git://git.sv.gnu.org/auctex.git")
  ("enwc" :subtree "bzr::bzr://bzr.savannah.nongnu.org/enwc/trunk")


thanks,
-Phil

Re: gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

[Stefan Monnier]

> My preference would be to maintain them as external git repositories
> so that I can push work-in-progress without bothering the emacs-devel
> list, and only notify emacs-devel once I was happy for a new version
> to be looked at.

GNU ELPA's packages are prepared from the elpa.git repository (among
other reasons, so as to make sure every code distributed was installed
by people who have commit access and signed paperwork).

So elpa.git needs to have a copy of the repository.  The canonical
repository can be elsewhere (and you just need to "push" to elpa.git
in order to release a new version).

Note that other people may still install changes in the elpa.git copy
(you should then get an automatic email message with that change).


        Stefan

Re: gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

[Phil Sainty]

Hi Stefan,

I guess my question is really just: Can I register each of my Emacs
packages as a git repository at savannah.gnu.org?

I do understand that all of GNU ELPA is built from the main repository,
but I wouldn't expect to get access to push arbitrary changes to that
repository, so my understanding is that in order to have changes
pushed I would need to send them to this list -- which is absolutely
fine for stable releases, but pointlessly noisy for work-in-progress
commits.

So I'm looking to have external repositories where pre-release versions
can be developed, with stable versions being merged to the GNU ELPA
repository when ready.

Savannah sounds like the right option, but I've never used it before,
so I was hoping for confirmation that it's a valid option.


 > GNU ELPA's packages are prepared from the elpa.git repository (among
 > other reasons, so as to make sure every code distributed was installed
 > by people who have commit access and signed paperwork).

I have signed paperwork for Emacs contributions. If contributing to
GNU ELPA means I get commit access to the main repository, I can deal
with that. It would just be surprising to me (and not my preferred
option), but if that's actually how it works, then that's ok.


-Phil



On 04/06/16 09:54, Stefan Monnier wrote:
>> My preference would be to maintain them as external git repositories
>> so that I can push work-in-progress without bothering the emacs-devel
>> list, and only notify emacs-devel once I was happy for a new version
>> to be looked at.
>
> GNU ELPA's packages are prepared from the elpa.git repository (among
> other reasons, so as to make sure every code distributed was installed
> by people who have commit access and signed paperwork).
>
> So elpa.git needs to have a copy of the repository.  The canonical
> repository can be elsewhere (and you just need to "push" to elpa.git
> in order to release a new version).
>
> Note that other people may still install changes in the elpa.git copy
> (you should then get an automatic email message with that change).
>
>
>          Stefan
>
>

Re: gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

[Stefan Monnier]

> I guess my question is really just: Can I register each of my Emacs
> packages as a git repository at savannah.gnu.org?

If you want to have your canonical development take place outside of
elpa.git you can, and in that case you can have it anywhere you like.

Of course, I'd recommend you just use elpa.git in that case.

> I do understand that all of GNU ELPA is built from the main repository,
> but I wouldn't expect to get access to push arbitrary changes to that
> repository,

Your expectations are wrong.  We normally give write access to the
repository to the maintainers of the packages.


        Stefan

Re: gnu.org-hosted external repositories for GNU ELPA packages?

[Phil Sainty]

On 05/06/16 04:57, Stefan Monnier wrote:
> Your expectations are wrong.  We normally give write access to
> the repository to the maintainers of the packages.

Ok, that certainly clears up a point of confusion for me.

I'll have a think about it, and then follow up with the packages
individually.

thanks,
-Phil