Re: Package file indexing

[zimoun <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com>]

On Thu, 9 Jan 2020 at 16:41, Pierre Neidhardt <mail@ambrevar.xyz> wrote:
>
> zimoun <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com> writes:
>
> >> The benefit of "/" is that it works _incidentally_.  If you are looking
> >> for "bin/hg", then `guix search bin/hg` will do the right thing.
> >
> > I agree.
> >
> > To be clear, to search the binary 'hg', I find clearer "guix search bin/hg".
> > However, to search any file which you do not the path, I find clearer
> > "guix search file:foo.h".
>
> To be clear, you don't need to know the path.  It's enough to know the
> basename, e.g. `guix search /foo.h`.

I do not find "/foo.h" clear. I prefer "file:foo.h".

What I naturally do is:

 - guix search bin/hg
 - guix search file:hg

It appears to me awkward to type "guix search /hg". But I can live with. :-)


> >> What I meant is that we already have a subcommand that outputs a
> >> property of the given packages, i.e. "guix size".  If I'm not mistaken,
> >> there is no "guix package" flag that displays any property for the given
> >> packages.
> >
> > You are suggesting "guix size emacs --list-files", right?
>
> No, I'm saying that if we follow the current approach for printing our
> package properties, we should have
>
>   guix list-files emacs

Sorry to be slow but I do not understand why a complete subcommand is required?

To me, it seems better to add an "--list-files" to "guix package" or
"guix show".


Cheers,
simon