Re: add keyword search and display in details for list-packages

[Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com>]

On Thu, 21 Nov 2013 09:44:39 -0500 Stefan Monnier <monnier@IRO.UMontreal.CA> wrote: 

>>>> I think the Keywords should also be shown in the package description and
>>>> maybe available for filtering, WDYT?
XF> I agree.  Showing the dependencies would be useful, too.

SM> Adding dependencies in the package description sounds good, indeed.

It's already there in `describe-package-1':

#+begin_src lisp
    (setq reqs (if desc (package-desc-reqs desc)))
    (when reqs
      (insert "   " (propertize "Requires" 'font-lock-face 'bold) ": ")
      (let ((first t)
	    name vers text)
	(dolist (req reqs)
	  (setq name (car req)
		vers (cadr req)
		text (format "%s-%s" (symbol-name name)
			     (package-version-join vers)))
	  (cond (first (setq first nil))
		((>= (+ 2 (current-column) (length text))
		     (window-width))
		 (insert ",\n               "))
		(t (insert ", ")))
	  (help-insert-xref-button text 'help-package name))
	(insert "\n")))
#+end_src

It seems that the list of requirements is not making it into the
description.

>> OK.  Any objections to:
>> * adding filtering by Keywords in the packages list?

SM> OK.

>> * showing the Keywords in the packages list?

SM> Not sure how you plan to do that.

I was thinking of appending "k1,k2,..." to the description.

>> * showing the Keywords in the package description?

SM> OK.

>> ;; - should store the package's keywords in archive-contents, then
>> ;;   let the users filter the package-menu by keyword.  See
>> ;;   finder-by-keyword.
>> so it seems this will require backend work by the GNU ELPA tools to put
>> the Keywords in the package description.  Stefan, WDYT?

SM> If you want to filter by keywords, I see 3 options:
SM> - add keywords in archive-contents.
SM> - let package.el download all packages to extract keywords from them.
SM> - use a separate file alongside archive-contents.
[SM: 1 is best]

(1) works for me as well.  Do you or I need to do work on the backend
tools to make it happen?  That's the prerequisite for the other work
listed here, which I can do on my own afterwards.

>> Finally, in addition to the Keywords, is there a package category,
>> meaning a single word to describe its purpose?

SM> No, and I don't think we'll ever be able to categorize this way.

OK.

>> It might be more suitable for display in the packages list and could
>> let us set up a hierarchy in the packages list to avoid the current
>> "2500+ entries in a flat list" situation.

SM> We could just as well browse by keywords.

OK.

Ted