ArchLinux: Optional packages

Command-line tool that get the optional dependencies from some specific package using pacman. Furthermore, you can install it in your Arch Linux.

INFORMATION

USAGE:

optional-packages [OPTIONS] <PACKAGE-1> <PACKAGE-2> <…>

DESCRIPTION

Command-line tool that finds all the optional packages of the packages that were pointed by you. It has different options to filter these packets. Beyond that, you can install the packages you pointed to the dependencies and the optional packages you found and filtered.

ARGS:

• The name of the packages separate by spaces.
  • <PACKAGE-1> <PACKAGE-2> <…>.

OPTIONS:

Abbr	Long	Information
-e	--exclude	Excludes packages mentioned during a deep search. - Required: no - Type: string - Values: package-1 package-2 … - Default: none
-h	--help	Display information for this command and exit. - Required: no - Type: none - Values: none - Default: none
-i	--install	Install all the packages found. - Required: no - Type: boolean - Values: yes | no - Default: no
-p	--packages	The core packages from which to start the search for optional packages. - Required: no - Type: string - Values: package-1 package-2 … - Default: none
-s	--skip-installed	Skip the installed packages. - Required: no - Type: boolean - Values: yes | no - Default: no
-v	--version	Display the version of this tool along with the project information and exit. - Required: no - Type: none - Values: none - Default: none
	--version-simple	Display the version of this tool and exit. - Required: no - Type: none - Values: none - Default: none

Note: Multiple values are separated by spaces.

EXAMPLES:

• Search for three packages.

  • Commands:
    • optional-packages bash lsd rust
    • optional-packages -p bash lsd rust
    • optional-packages --packages bash lsd rust

• Search for a package, but exclude some optional packages.

  • Commands:
    • optional-packages -p kitty -e imagemagick python-pygments
    • optional-packages -packages kitty -exclude imagemagick python-pygments

• Install the core packages and any additional packages found.

  • Commands:
    • optional-packages -p lsd -i yes
    • optional-packages -packages lsd --install yes

• Search for optional packages, just for any core packages or optional packages that are not installed.

  • In this case, lsd is already installed, it will not look for any optional dependencies because it is already installed.
  • Otherwise, if the value of this option is no (the default value), then it would look for dependencies on the lsd package or any package.
  • Commands:
    • optional-packages -p lsd -s yes
    • optional-packages -packages lsd --skip-installed yes

• All words at the end of the command are considered core packages. In this example are bash lsd rust.

  • Commands:
    • optional-packages bash lsd rust
    • optional-packages --install yes bash lsd rust
    • optional-packages --exclude bat --install yes bash lsd rust
  • Warning: if your last option is exclude, all words at the end count as exclusion and not for parent packages. In this case, nothing will be installed because no parent package was pointed to.
    • optional-packages --install yes --exclude bat bash lsd rust

• Multiple options can be used multiple times, plus core packages can be at the end.

  • In this example, it will search for optional packages within the following core packages lsd kitty virtualbox bat xterm; exclude python gtk3 perl optional packages; avoid installed packages; and finally, install the packages found.
  • Note: For options that have a single value (boolean), when the same option is entered multiple times, it will take the last option and its value. The order matters.
  • Commands:
    • optional-packages -s no -p lsd kitty -s yes -e python gtk3 -p virtualbox -e perl -i no -i yes bat xterm

INSTALLATION AND MANUAL EXECUTION

Installation

Introduction

This package is stored in the AUR (Arch Linux User Repository). AUR is a repository where anyone with an Arch Linux web account can upload a configuration file, which has instructions for downloading and installing the package. In addition, it contains information on the people who maintain or contribute to it.

AUR package installer

Normally, the pacman command is used to install official packages. However, this command does not work for AUR packages. There are specific tools that help AUR package management, like yay.

To install this package, first install yay and then run the following command: yay --sync optional-packages.

Manual execution

Directly download the optional-packages file and use it on your computer.

Verify that the file has the appropriate execution permissions for your needs: ls -l optional-packages. You can add execute permissions to the owner user with chmod u+x optional-packages or to all with chmod +x optional-packages.

Run this tool with one of the following commands.

• ./optional-packages --help.
• bash optional-packages --help.
• /usr/bin/env bash optional-packages --help.
• /usr/bin/bash optional-packages --help.

CONTRIBUTE

You can always follow the official GitHub guides: contributing to projects and fork a repository.

In short, you can perform the following steps. Let's assume your GitHub user is XxXxXx.

Here is a small script that can be run after the first step, which is to fork the project in your account.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Replace these two values to customize your execution.
MY_GITHUB_USER="XxXxXx"
BRANCH_NAME="add-new-options"

git clone "https://github.com/${MY_GITHUB_USER}/archlinux-optional-packages.git"
cd archlinux-optional-packages
git remote add upstream "https://github.com/airvzxf/archlinux-optional-packages.git"
git remote --verbose
git branch "${BRANCH_NAME}"
git checkout "${BRANCH_NAME}"

• Navigate to archlinux-optional-packages and create a branch by clicking the branch button. Or just click this link to create it automatically.
• On your computer, clone your forked project: git clone https://github.com/XxXxXx/archlinux-optional-packages.git.
• Go inside the repository folder: cd archlinux-optional-packages.
• Configure Git to sync your fork with the upstream repository.
  • git remote add upstream https://github.com/airvzxf/archlinux-optional-packages.git.
  • git remote --verbose.
• Always create a new branch to work on your changes.
  • git branch BRANCH_NAME.
  • git checkout BRANCH_NAME.
• Make your changes and commit them.
  • git add ..
  • git commit --message "Brief description of the changes".
• Push your changes to our repository on the GitHub server. The first time you need to specify the upstream, the next time use basic push.
  • First time: git push --set-upstream origin BRANCH_NAME.
  • git push.
• The last step is to create a pull request to push your changes to our repository. This request must be accepted by the project owner or maintainers for the changes to take effect.
  • If you go to your repository with the web browser (https://github.com/XxXxXx/archlinux-optional-packages), it will display the 'Compare & pull request' button. Or use this URL to do it easily: https://github.com/XxXxXx/archlinux-optional-packages/compare/BRANCH_NAME
  • Fill in all the required information and review the 'Files changed' tab to verify the changes.
  • Tap the 'Create pull request' button to finish.

RELEASE TO THE AUR SERVER

Use the version format vX.X.X, where X equals to numbers, for example: v45.7.211.

Change in the source code.

• Manually change the version in ./src/optional-packages. Find the variable VERSION="vX.X.X" in the first few lines and change it to the new version.
• Check if the variable ENV_IS_PRODUCTION has the true value in .github/workflows/deploy-to-aur.yml file.

Create a new release.

• You can choose between a branch or a specific commitment.
  • If your commit is the latest at this time, you can select the 'main' branch.
  • Otherwise, if your commit is old, it's better to choose a specific commit.
• Create a new tag that is larger than the previous one (vX.X.X).
• Add a release title. Preferred to use 'Release vX.X.X'.
• Add a description. It is recommended to add a brief description and use the 'Generate release notes' button.
• Select the option: 'Set as the latest release'.
• Finally, tap the 'Publish release' button.

Review in the 'CI ➟ Deploy to AUR' actions.

• A new workflow run should be started with the title of the version you added in the previous steps.
• It validates that it has finished successfully (green color). If not, review the bug, fix it, and rebuild this version.
• If it finished successfully, in the logs at the end, it provides an AUR URL for this specific commit on its servers.
• You can check the AUR repository information.
• You can check the package in the AUR website.

TO-DO LIST

RELEASE

• Version of this tool. It is not defined, and we have to find the best approach. But definitely, the expectation is to look for the simplest and most automated way.
  • Option #1: When you create the release on GitHub, automatically modify the source code by changing the version in the script file. Furthermore, make a new commit with these changes, along with a push, and modify in the release the commit that is pointed to this last commit.
  • Option #2: It is precisely the opposite of Option #1. The version is assigned in the script or a file. Then find a way to automate the release and have it grab the version of the script or file on GitHub. Or even that the release is already automated with line commands and not through the website on GitHub, creating an action in the workflow.

Review the complete To-Do list to review what is pending.