Arch Linux

Asseon

Member

Registered: 2014-07-23

Posts: 8

Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

I'm currently preparing a package for the game Dreamfall Chapters, unfortunately the Developer does not (yet) provide a Version number.
What is the best practice for this? Just count the releases and set epoch when they finally provide one themselves?

thanks in advance!

rumpelsepp

Member

From: Bavaria

Registered: 2012-11-13

Posts: 105

Website

Re: Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

You could provide a VCS package and use the pkgver function for setting an appropriate versionstring.
see here: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/VC … Guidelines

---

Every time I see some piece of medical research saying that caffeine is good for you, I high-five myself. Because I'm going to live forever. -- Torvalds, Linus (2010-08-03).

Asseon

Member

Registered: 2014-07-23

Posts: 8

Re: Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

It's a closed source game, so there is no VCS access

Last edited by Asseon (2014-10-22 09:15:34)

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,193

Re: Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

If you are missing a version number, you could use the date. Prefix it with "r" in case you want to avoid epoch when upstream decides to start versioning.

pkgver=r20140122

If you have another release on the same day, increment another subversion

pkgver=r20140122.1

Counting the releases by hand is poor practice (you could miss one). Do it only if upstream provides the count.
Edit: To tie the version stronger to the release, you can also add a part of the archive hash, e.g. +m###### with the first 6 characters of the md5sum.

pkgver=r20140122+m23df1e

Edit: r as prefix is better, thanks rumpelsepp.

Last edited by progandy (2014-10-22 09:32:56)

---

| alias CUTF='LANG=en_XX.UTF-8@POSIX ' |

rumpelsepp

Member

From: Bavaria

Registered: 2012-11-13

Posts: 105

Website

Re: Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

I think you could use the scheme on the wiki page anyway.

r1, r2, r3, r4, ...

Pacman will recognize if you update later to, let's say, 1.0. I have tried it a few minutes ago.

---

Every time I see some piece of medical research saying that caffeine is good for you, I high-five myself. Because I'm going to live forever. -- Torvalds, Linus (2010-08-03).

Asseon

Member

Registered: 2014-07-23

Posts: 8

Re: Best practice when upstream does not provide version number

thank you both, I will proceed with progandys approach.