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Subject: [bug#40629] Build and install packages from JSON definitions
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From: Ludovic =?UTF-8?Q?Court=C3=A8s?= <ludo@gnu.org>
References: <87y2qym5v8.fsf@elephly.net>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2020 23:50:04 +0200
In-Reply-To: <87y2qym5v8.fsf@elephly.net> (Ricardo Wurmus's message of "Tue,
 14 Apr 2020 17:44:31 +0200")
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To: Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>
Cc: 40629@debbugs.gnu.org

Hey!

Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net> skribis:

> did you know that we have JSON importer?  Admittedly, it=E2=80=99s not ve=
ry
> useful because people don=E2=80=99t generally use JSON syntax to define G=
uix
> packages.  Not even Guix lets you build and install packages from JSON
> definitions, so what=E2=80=99s the point really?
>
> Well, fret not!  This patch set adds support for JSON package
> definitions to =E2=80=9Cguix package -f=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cguix build =
-f=E2=80=9D.  You can now dump
> this into a file =E2=80=9Chello.json=E2=80=9D:
>
> {
>   "name": "hello",
>   "version": "2.10",
>   "source": "mirror://gnu/hello/hello-2.10.tar.gz",
>   "build-system": "gnu",
>   "home-page": "https://www.gnu.org/software/hello/",
>   "synopsis": "Hello, GNU world: An example GNU package",
>   "description": "GNU Hello prints a greeting.",
>   "license": "GPL-3.0+",
>   "native-inputs": ["gettext"]
> }
>
> and then install the hello package with =E2=80=9Cguix package -f hello.js=
on=E2=80=9D
> without having to first run the JSON importer.

I think that=E2=80=99s pretty cool!

In a way, it also looks like a special case of the import-on-the-fly use
case we discussed.  Namely, if you could write:

  guix build json:./foo.json
  guix install pypi:itsdangerous
  =E2=80=A6

and have the relevant importer automatically invoked, that=E2=80=99d be swe=
et.

But=E2=80=A6 that=E2=80=99s somewhat ambitious and shouldn=E2=80=99t block =
this improvement!

Ludo=E2=80=99.