Re: How does ELPA work?

[Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com>]

Michael Albinus <michael.albinus@gmx.de> writes:

> Does there exist a small blurb for elpa contributors? This shouldn't
> include the upload procedure only, but also some instructions how to
> organize the package (files with version in theie name? directories
> with version in their name? readme? what else?)

I have done some revising of the Packaging chapter in the Lisp manual.
Take a look there and see if the explanation of how to create a package
is clear enough.

It also explains how to set up a "mini" package archive on your local
machine.  This provides a way to test installing your package from the
M-x list-packages interface, by adding the local archive to the
`package-archives' alist.

The instructions for uploading to elpa.gnu.org need a little more work.
(And we probably need more functionality in package-x.el, whose commands
currently assume you're uploading directly to a package archive, whereas
our elpa branch is a source repository from which a package archive is
generated.)