[maemo-developers] Application Manager scripting, second try

[From: Marius Gedminas]

On Mon, Feb 26, 2007 at 07:54:07PM +0200, Marius Vollmer wrote:
> This time, I don't try to be more general than needed.  I hope that
> this version is a nice incremental improvement to the existing way of
> doing things.
> 
> To put things into context, let me briefly list the new features:
> 
> - You can have more than one catalogue in the .install file.
> - Catalogue names can be localized.
> - There is a special mode for installing stuff from a memory card.
...
> A group describing a catalogue can contain the following keys:
...
>  - `dist`
> 
>  The distribution of the `deb` line that will be added to
>  `sources.list` for this catalogue.  If you omit it, it will default
>  to the distribution corresponding to the IT OS release on the device.
> 
>  The fact that the distribution should be selected automatically is
>  remembered by the Application Manager.  For example, if you make a
>  backup that contains a catalogue with automatic distribution
>  selection and restore it on a different IT OS release, the
>  distribution for the new version will be used automatically.

It would be good to clarify whether mistral, scrirocco, and gregale are
considered to be different distributions, or if they all use the name
'mistral'.

...
> ### Adding catalogues.
> 
> This interaction flow is controlled by the "catalogues" group.  This
> group has one mandatory key, "catalogues", and no optional ones.  The
> "catalogues" key is a list of strings that refer to the catalogue
> groups that describe the catalogues to be added.

How are the strings in the list separated?  I would expect spaces or
commas, but in your examples you use semicolons.  Is that something
standard for GKeyFiles?

> Example:
> 
>     [catalogues]
>     catalogues = extras; sdk
...
> ### Installing a package
> 
> This interaction flow is controlled by the "install" group.  This
> group has one mandatory key, "package", and a optional one,
> "catalogues".
> 
> The "package" key gives the name of the package to install.

So it is impossible to write a single .install file that installs
multiple packages?

I'm trying to imagine a use case for that... Still trying... The only
idea that comes into mind is some uber-user crafting a .install file
containing all her favourite applications for single-click reinstalling
after a reflash.

Packages who want to create bundles are probably better off writing
meta-packages.

Marius Gedminas
-- 
The memory management on the PowerPC can be used to frighten small children.
		-- Linus Torvalds
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