Git versions in AUR

stozi · 2014-02-04 19:49:04

Let's say I want to install randompackage-git from the AUR. It has a submission date, an update date, and a long weird version number.

But I understand that the version number of that tarball is not necessarily the version number of the package. Somehow git gives me access to the latest version no matter what the version/update time on the AUR is, right? I searched for introductions to Git but found nothing dumbed down enough for a crude casual user like me.

Last edited by stozi (2014-02-05 02:54:48)

jasonwryan · 2014-02-04 19:54:44

The VCS PKGBUILDS changed a little while ago, it used to be much more obvious just from reading the PKGBUILD: essentially, the build function clones the $pkgname-git repository.

So, yes, you do get the current version, irrespective of what the $pkgname is in the AUR. When you run makepkg, the pkgver function will update the $pkgname based on the git log.

tomk · 2014-02-04 19:55:09

Read the PKGBUILD. You will see various git commands. Read about them.

If you really do want to know how it works, you need to put in the time and effort required to read the official documentation, and possibly some well-written third-party stuff. Looking for "dumbed-down" guides is just being lazy IMO.

stozi · 2014-02-05 01:52:26

Ok, life's short. So what then is the point of the aur package version number?

jasonwryan · 2014-02-05 01:59:52

Only a percentage of packages in the AUR are VCS packages: the rest rely on $pkgver for managing updates.

Not a GNU/Linux discussion, moving to AUR issues...

/dev/zero · 2014-02-05 02:01:56

stozi wrote:

Ok, life's short. So what then is the point of the aur package version number?

I suspect it's just that the package version number has always been a mandatory field and it's not clear that it should be made non-mandatory just because of github.

Probably, it would be a good idea for people putting code on github to give it a "tag" every now and again, which effectively imposes a notion of versioning, in which case the package version number would make sense.

Also, many projects on github are just small little programs that don't really need installing to the system /usr/bin directory; I have a $HOME/src directory where I often put small things from github; after compiling, the binary can be symlinked to $HOME/bin.

My philosophy on this is probably a long way from becoming an established convention, though.

Also, your thread title is not consistent with the content of your opening post. Your topic is about the relationship between PKGBUILDs and github projects. It is not about the internal workings of git.

hagabaka · 2014-02-05 17:35:16

If the PKGBUILD has a pkgver() function, then $pkgver just tells you the version/revision number of the project when the packager last updated the script. That can be useful, because if you know that the packaged software had significant changes to its building process in version 1.3, and you have a PKGBUILD for 1.1.gaf324e, the PKGBUILD will likely need to be revised. Of course if you don't know that kind of information, you can still just try it, and if the build works, the resulting package will have a correct version number, as long as pkgver() works properly.

Last edited by hagabaka (2014-02-05 17:35:50)

ANOKNUSA · 2014-02-06 19:43:51

stozi wrote:

Ok, life's short. So what then is the point of the aur package version number?

It's clear that you think the version number matters to you in some way, and that the inner workings of Git and version control in general don't. So what is it you're really asking for? What's the real question?

stozi · 2014-02-07 03:50:53

For now I'm grateful for and satisfied with the information from jasonwryan, /dev/zero and hagabaka, thanks.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-02-04 19:49:04

Git versions in AUR

#2 2014-02-04 19:54:44

Re: Git versions in AUR

#3 2014-02-04 19:55:09

Re: Git versions in AUR

#4 2014-02-05 01:52:26

Re: Git versions in AUR

#5 2014-02-05 01:59:52

Re: Git versions in AUR

#6 2014-02-05 02:01:56

Re: Git versions in AUR

#7 2014-02-05 17:35:16

Re: Git versions in AUR

#8 2014-02-06 19:43:51

Re: Git versions in AUR

#9 2014-02-07 03:50:53

Re: Git versions in AUR

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