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authorGraham Christensen <graham@grahamc.com>2018-05-01 19:54:21 -0400
committerGraham Christensen <graham@grahamc.com>2018-05-01 19:54:21 -0400
commit77161de4546697f9bf2da6d081eeba4c399b3313 (patch)
tree8f77aeeb5a17cbc0c76b4401a090f55addabf975 /doc/coding-conventions.xml
parentfd2dce9708ff68e8a5474d9bf691a23c52c7273e (diff)
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-rw-r--r--doc/coding-conventions.xml1214
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diff --git a/doc/coding-conventions.xml b/doc/coding-conventions.xml
index d556c7ebe1e..f244c11d4f2 100644
--- a/doc/coding-conventions.xml
+++ b/doc/coding-conventions.xml
@@ -1,56 +1,59 @@
<chapter xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xml:id="chap-conventions">
-
-<title>Coding conventions</title>
-
-
-<section xml:id="sec-syntax"><title>Syntax</title>
-
-<itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem><para>Use 2 spaces of indentation per indentation level in
- Nix expressions, 4 spaces in shell scripts.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Do not use tab characters, i.e. configure your
- editor to use soft tabs. For instance, use <literal>(setq-default
- indent-tabs-mode nil)</literal> in Emacs. Everybody has different
- tab settings so it’s asking for trouble.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Use <literal>lowerCamelCase</literal> for variable
- names, not <literal>UpperCamelCase</literal>. Note, this rule does
- not apply to package attribute names, which instead follow the rules
- in <xref linkend="sec-package-naming"/>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Function calls with attribute set arguments are
- written as
-
+ <title>Coding conventions</title>
+ <section xml:id="sec-syntax">
+ <title>Syntax</title>
+
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Use 2 spaces of indentation per indentation level in Nix expressions, 4
+ spaces in shell scripts.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Do not use tab characters, i.e. configure your editor to use soft tabs.
+ For instance, use <literal>(setq-default indent-tabs-mode nil)</literal>
+ in Emacs. Everybody has different tab settings so it’s asking for
+ trouble.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Use <literal>lowerCamelCase</literal> for variable names, not
+ <literal>UpperCamelCase</literal>. Note, this rule does not apply to
+ package attribute names, which instead follow the rules in
+ <xref linkend="sec-package-naming"/>.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Function calls with attribute set arguments are written as
<programlisting>
foo {
arg = ...;
}
</programlisting>
-
- not
-
+ not
<programlisting>
foo
{
arg = ...;
}
</programlisting>
-
- Also fine is
-
+ Also fine is
<programlisting>
foo { arg = ...; }
</programlisting>
-
- if it's a short call.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>In attribute sets or lists that span multiple lines,
- the attribute names or list elements should be aligned:
-
+ if it's a short call.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ In attribute sets or lists that span multiple lines, the attribute names
+ or list elements should be aligned:
<programlisting>
# A long list.
list =
@@ -73,12 +76,11 @@ attrs = {
if true then big_expr else big_expr;
};
</programlisting>
-
- </para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Short lists or attribute sets can be written on one
- line:
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Short lists or attribute sets can be written on one line:
<programlisting>
# A short list.
list = [ elem1 elem2 elem3 ];
@@ -86,66 +88,58 @@ list = [ elem1 elem2 elem3 ];
# A short set.
attrs = { x = 1280; y = 1024; };
</programlisting>
-
- </para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Breaking in the middle of a function argument can
- give hard-to-read code, like
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Breaking in the middle of a function argument can give hard-to-read code,
+ like
<programlisting>
someFunction { x = 1280;
y = 1024; } otherArg
yetAnotherArg
</programlisting>
-
- (especially if the argument is very large, spanning multiple
- lines).</para>
-
- <para>Better:
-
+ (especially if the argument is very large, spanning multiple lines).
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Better:
<programlisting>
someFunction
{ x = 1280; y = 1024; }
otherArg
yetAnotherArg
</programlisting>
-
- or
-
+ or
<programlisting>
let res = { x = 1280; y = 1024; };
in someFunction res otherArg yetAnotherArg
</programlisting>
-
- </para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>The bodies of functions, asserts, and withs are not
- indented to prevent a lot of superfluous indentation levels, i.e.
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The bodies of functions, asserts, and withs are not indented to prevent a
+ lot of superfluous indentation levels, i.e.
<programlisting>
{ arg1, arg2 }:
assert system == "i686-linux";
stdenv.mkDerivation { ...
</programlisting>
-
- not
-
+ not
<programlisting>
{ arg1, arg2 }:
assert system == "i686-linux";
stdenv.mkDerivation { ...
</programlisting>
-
- </para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Function formal arguments are written as:
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Function formal arguments are written as:
<programlisting>
{ arg1, arg2, arg3 }:
</programlisting>
-
- but if they don't fit on one line they're written as:
-
+ but if they don't fit on one line they're written as:
<programlisting>
{ arg1, arg2, arg3
, arg4, ...
@@ -153,35 +147,28 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation { ...
argN
}:
</programlisting>
-
- </para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Functions should list their expected arguments as
- precisely as possible. That is, write
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Functions should list their expected arguments as precisely as possible.
+ That is, write
<programlisting>
{ stdenv, fetchurl, perl }: <replaceable>...</replaceable>
</programlisting>
-
- instead of
-
+ instead of
<programlisting>
args: with args; <replaceable>...</replaceable>
</programlisting>
-
- or
-
+ or
<programlisting>
{ stdenv, fetchurl, perl, ... }: <replaceable>...</replaceable>
</programlisting>
-
- </para>
-
- <para>For functions that are truly generic in the number of
- arguments (such as wrappers around <varname>mkDerivation</varname>)
- that have some required arguments, you should write them using an
- <literal>@</literal>-pattern:
-
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ For functions that are truly generic in the number of arguments (such as
+ wrappers around <varname>mkDerivation</varname>) that have some required
+ arguments, you should write them using an <literal>@</literal>-pattern:
<programlisting>
{ stdenv, doCoverageAnalysis ? false, ... } @ args:
@@ -189,9 +176,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (args // {
<replaceable>...</replaceable> if doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" <replaceable>...</replaceable>
})
</programlisting>
-
- instead of
-
+ instead of
<programlisting>
args:
@@ -199,432 +184,557 @@ args.stdenv.mkDerivation (args // {
<replaceable>...</replaceable> if args ? doCoverageAnalysis &amp;&amp; args.doCoverageAnalysis then "bla" else "" <replaceable>...</replaceable>
})
</programlisting>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </section>
+ <section xml:id="sec-package-naming">
+ <title>Package naming</title>
- </para></listitem>
-
-</itemizedlist>
-
-</section>
-
-
-<section xml:id="sec-package-naming"><title>Package naming</title>
-
-<para>In Nixpkgs, there are generally three different names associated with a package:
-
-<itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem><para>The <varname>name</varname> attribute of the
- derivation (excluding the version part). This is what most users
- see, in particular when using
- <command>nix-env</command>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>The variable name used for the instantiated package
- in <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, and when passing it as a
- dependency to other functions. Typically this is called the
- <emphasis>package attribute name</emphasis>. This is what Nix
- expression authors see. It can also be used when installing using
- <command>nix-env -iA</command>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>The filename for (the directory containing) the Nix
- expression.</para></listitem>
-
-</itemizedlist>
-
-Most of the time, these are the same. For instance, the package
-<literal>e2fsprogs</literal> has a <varname>name</varname> attribute
-<literal>"e2fsprogs-<replaceable>version</replaceable>"</literal>, is
-bound to the variable name <varname>e2fsprogs</varname> in
-<filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, and the Nix expression is in
-<filename>pkgs/os-specific/linux/e2fsprogs/default.nix</filename>.
-</para>
-
-<para>There are a few naming guidelines:
-
-<itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem><para>Generally, try to stick to the upstream package
- name.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Don’t use uppercase letters in the
- <literal>name</literal> attribute — e.g.,
- <literal>"mplayer-1.0rc2"</literal> instead of
- <literal>"MPlayer-1.0rc2"</literal>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>The version part of the <literal>name</literal>
- attribute <emphasis>must</emphasis> start with a digit (following a
- dash) — e.g., <literal>"hello-0.3.1rc2"</literal>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>If a package is not a release but a commit from a repository, then
- the version part of the name <emphasis>must</emphasis> be the date of that
- (fetched) commit. The date must be in <literal>"YYYY-MM-DD"</literal> format.
- Also append <literal>"unstable"</literal> to the name - e.g.,
- <literal>"pkgname-unstable-2014-09-23"</literal>.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>Dashes in the package name should be preserved in
- new variable names, rather than converted to underscores or camel
- cased — e.g., <varname>http-parser</varname> instead of
- <varname>http_parser</varname> or <varname>httpParser</varname>. The
- hyphenated style is preferred in all three package
- names.</para></listitem>
-
- <listitem><para>If there are multiple versions of a package, this
- should be reflected in the variable names in
- <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>,
- e.g. <varname>json-c-0-9</varname> and <varname>json-c-0-11</varname>.
- If there is an obvious “default” version, make an attribute like
- <literal>json-c = json-c-0-9;</literal>.
- See also <xref linkend="sec-versioning" /></para></listitem>
-
-</itemizedlist>
-
-</para>
-
-</section>
-
-
-<section xml:id="sec-organisation"><title>File naming and organisation</title>
-
-<para>Names of files and directories should be in lowercase, with
-dashes between words — not in camel case. For instance, it should be
-<filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, not
-<filename>allPackages.nix</filename> or
-<filename>AllPackages.nix</filename>.</para>
-
-<section xml:id="sec-hierarchy"><title>Hierarchy</title>
-
-<para>Each package should be stored in its own directory somewhere in
-the <filename>pkgs/</filename> tree, i.e. in
-<filename>pkgs/<replaceable>category</replaceable>/<replaceable>subcategory</replaceable>/<replaceable>...</replaceable>/<replaceable>pkgname</replaceable></filename>.
-Below are some rules for picking the right category for a package.
-Many packages fall under several categories; what matters is the
-<emphasis>primary</emphasis> purpose of a package. For example, the
-<literal>libxml2</literal> package builds both a library and some
-tools; but it’s a library foremost, so it goes under
-<filename>pkgs/development/libraries</filename>.</para>
-
-<para>When in doubt, consider refactoring the
-<filename>pkgs/</filename> tree, e.g. creating new categories or
-splitting up an existing category.</para>
-
-<variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s used to support <emphasis>software development</emphasis>:</term>
+ <para>
+ In Nixpkgs, there are generally three different names associated with a
+ package:
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>library</emphasis> used by other packages:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/libraries</filename> (e.g. <filename>libxml2</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>compiler</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/compilers</filename> (e.g. <filename>gcc</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an <emphasis>interpreter</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/interpreters</filename> (e.g. <filename>guile</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a (set of) development <emphasis>tool(s)</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>parser generator</emphasis> (including lexers):</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/tools/parsing</filename> (e.g. <filename>bison</filename>, <filename>flex</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>build manager</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/tools/build-managers</filename> (e.g. <filename>gnumake</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/tools/misc</filename> (e.g. <filename>binutils</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>development/misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ The <varname>name</varname> attribute of the derivation (excluding the
+ version part). This is what most users see, in particular when using
+ <command>nix-env</command>.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a (set of) <emphasis>tool(s)</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para>(A tool is a relatively small program, especially one intended
- to be used non-interactively.)</para>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s for <emphasis>networking</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/networking</filename> (e.g. <filename>wget</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s for <emphasis>text processing</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/text</filename> (e.g. <filename>diffutils</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>system utility</emphasis>, i.e.,
- something related or essential to the operation of a
- system:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/system</filename> (e.g. <filename>cron</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an <emphasis>archiver</emphasis> (which may
- include a compression function):</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/archivers</filename> (e.g. <filename>zip</filename>, <filename>tar</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>compression</emphasis> program:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/compression</filename> (e.g. <filename>gzip</filename>, <filename>bzip2</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>security</emphasis>-related program:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/security</filename> (e.g. <filename>nmap</filename>, <filename>gnupg</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>tools/misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ The variable name used for the instantiated package in
+ <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, and when passing it as a
+ dependency to other functions. Typically this is called the
+ <emphasis>package attribute name</emphasis>. This is what Nix expression
+ authors see. It can also be used when installing using <command>nix-env
+ -iA</command>.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>shell</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para><filename>shells</filename> (e.g. <filename>bash</filename>)</para>
+ <para>
+ The filename for (the directory containing) the Nix expression.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>server</emphasis>:</term>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ Most of the time, these are the same. For instance, the package
+ <literal>e2fsprogs</literal> has a <varname>name</varname> attribute
+ <literal>"e2fsprogs-<replaceable>version</replaceable>"</literal>, is bound
+ to the variable name <varname>e2fsprogs</varname> in
+ <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, and the Nix expression is in
+ <filename>pkgs/os-specific/linux/e2fsprogs/default.nix</filename>.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ There are a few naming guidelines:
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a web server:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>servers/http</filename> (e.g. <filename>apache-httpd</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an implementation of the X Windowing System:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>servers/x11</filename> (e.g. <filename>xorg</filename> — this includes the client libraries and programs)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>servers/misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ Generally, try to stick to the upstream package name.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>desktop environment</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para><filename>desktops</filename> (e.g. <filename>kde</filename>, <filename>gnome</filename>, <filename>enlightenment</filename>)</para>
+ <para>
+ Don’t use uppercase letters in the <literal>name</literal> attribute
+ — e.g., <literal>"mplayer-1.0rc2"</literal> instead of
+ <literal>"MPlayer-1.0rc2"</literal>.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>window manager</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/window-managers</filename> (e.g. <filename>awesome</filename>, <filename>stumpwm</filename>)</para>
+ <para>
+ The version part of the <literal>name</literal> attribute
+ <emphasis>must</emphasis> start with a digit (following a dash) — e.g.,
+ <literal>"hello-0.3.1rc2"</literal>.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an <emphasis>application</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para>A (typically large) program with a distinct user
- interface, primarily used interactively.</para>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>version management system</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/version-management</filename> (e.g. <filename>subversion</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s for <emphasis>video playback / editing</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/video</filename> (e.g. <filename>vlc</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s for <emphasis>graphics viewing / editing</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/graphics</filename> (e.g. <filename>gimp</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s for <emphasis>networking</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>mailreader</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/networking/mailreaders</filename> (e.g. <filename>thunderbird</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>newsreader</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/networking/newsreaders</filename> (e.g. <filename>pan</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>web browser</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/networking/browsers</filename> (e.g. <filename>firefox</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/networking/misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>applications/misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ If a package is not a release but a commit from a repository, then the
+ version part of the name <emphasis>must</emphasis> be the date of that
+ (fetched) commit. The date must be in <literal>"YYYY-MM-DD"</literal>
+ format. Also append <literal>"unstable"</literal> to the name - e.g.,
+ <literal>"pkgname-unstable-2014-09-23"</literal>.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s <emphasis>data</emphasis> (i.e., does not have a
- straight-forward executable semantics):</term>
<listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>font</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>data/fonts</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s related to <emphasis>SGML/XML processing</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <variablelist>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an <emphasis>XML DTD</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd</filename> (e.g. <filename>docbook</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s an <emphasis>XSLT stylesheet</emphasis>:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>(Okay, these are executable...)</para>
- <para><filename>data/sgml+xml/stylesheets/xslt</filename> (e.g. <filename>docbook-xsl</filename>)</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ Dashes in the package name should be preserved in new variable names,
+ rather than converted to underscores or camel cased — e.g.,
+ <varname>http-parser</varname> instead of <varname>http_parser</varname>
+ or <varname>httpParser</varname>. The hyphenated style is preferred in
+ all three package names.
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>If it’s a <emphasis>game</emphasis>:</term>
<listitem>
- <para><filename>games</filename></para>
+ <para>
+ If there are multiple versions of a package, this should be reflected in
+ the variable names in <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, e.g.
+ <varname>json-c-0-9</varname> and <varname>json-c-0-11</varname>. If
+ there is an obvious “default” version, make an attribute like
+ <literal>json-c = json-c-0-9;</literal>. See also
+ <xref linkend="sec-versioning" />
+ </para>
</listitem>
- </varlistentry>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Else:</term>
- <listitem>
- <para><filename>misc</filename></para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-</variablelist>
-
-</section>
-
-<section xml:id="sec-versioning"><title>Versioning</title>
-
-<para>Because every version of a package in Nixpkgs creates a
-potential maintenance burden, old versions of a package should not be
-kept unless there is a good reason to do so. For instance, Nixpkgs
-contains several versions of GCC because other packages don’t build
-with the latest version of GCC. Other examples are having both the
-latest stable and latest pre-release version of a package, or to keep
-several major releases of an application that differ significantly in
-functionality.</para>
-
-<para>If there is only one version of a package, its Nix expression
-should be named <filename>e2fsprogs/default.nix</filename>. If there
-are multiple versions, this should be reflected in the filename,
-e.g. <filename>e2fsprogs/1.41.8.nix</filename> and
-<filename>e2fsprogs/1.41.9.nix</filename>. The version in the
-filename should leave out unnecessary detail. For instance, if we
-keep the latest Firefox 2.0.x and 3.5.x versions in Nixpkgs, they
-should be named <filename>firefox/2.0.nix</filename> and
-<filename>firefox/3.5.nix</filename>, respectively (which, at a given
-point, might contain versions <literal>2.0.0.20</literal> and
-<literal>3.5.4</literal>). If a version requires many auxiliary
-files, you can use a subdirectory for each version,
-e.g. <filename>firefox/2.0/default.nix</filename> and
-<filename>firefox/3.5/default.nix</filename>.</para>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section xml:id="sec-organisation">
+ <title>File naming and organisation</title>
-<para>All versions of a package <emphasis>must</emphasis> be included
-in <filename>all-packages.nix</filename> to make sure that they
-evaluate correctly.</para>
+ <para>
+ Names of files and directories should be in lowercase, with dashes between
+ words — not in camel case. For instance, it should be
+ <filename>all-packages.nix</filename>, not
+ <filename>allPackages.nix</filename> or
+ <filename>AllPackages.nix</filename>.
+ </para>
-</section>
+ <section xml:id="sec-hierarchy">
+ <title>Hierarchy</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Each package should be stored in its own directory somewhere in the
+ <filename>pkgs/</filename> tree, i.e. in
+ <filename>pkgs/<replaceable>category</replaceable>/<replaceable>subcategory</replaceable>/<replaceable>...</replaceable>/<replaceable>pkgname</replaceable></filename>.
+ Below are some rules for picking the right category for a package. Many
+ packages fall under several categories; what matters is the
+ <emphasis>primary</emphasis> purpose of a package. For example, the
+ <literal>libxml2</literal> package builds both a library and some tools;
+ but it’s a library foremost, so it goes under
+ <filename>pkgs/development/libraries</filename>.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ When in doubt, consider refactoring the <filename>pkgs/</filename> tree,
+ e.g. creating new categories or splitting up an existing category.
+ </para>
+
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s used to support <emphasis>software development</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>library</emphasis> used by other packages:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/libraries</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>libxml2</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>compiler</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/compilers</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>gcc</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an <emphasis>interpreter</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/interpreters</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>guile</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a (set of) development <emphasis>tool(s)</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>parser generator</emphasis> (including lexers):</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/tools/parsing</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>bison</filename>, <filename>flex</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>build manager</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/tools/build-managers</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>gnumake</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/tools/misc</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>binutils</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>development/misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a (set of) <emphasis>tool(s)</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ (A tool is a relatively small program, especially one intended to be
+ used non-interactively.)
+ </para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s for <emphasis>networking</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/networking</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>wget</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s for <emphasis>text processing</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/text</filename> (e.g. <filename>diffutils</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>system utility</emphasis>, i.e.,
+ something related or essential to the operation of a
+ system:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/system</filename> (e.g. <filename>cron</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an <emphasis>archiver</emphasis> (which may
+ include a compression function):</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/archivers</filename> (e.g. <filename>zip</filename>,
+ <filename>tar</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>compression</emphasis> program:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/compression</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>gzip</filename>, <filename>bzip2</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>security</emphasis>-related program:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/security</filename> (e.g. <filename>nmap</filename>,
+ <filename>gnupg</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>tools/misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>shell</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>shells</filename> (e.g. <filename>bash</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>server</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a web server:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>servers/http</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>apache-httpd</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an implementation of the X Windowing System:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>servers/x11</filename> (e.g. <filename>xorg</filename> —
+ this includes the client libraries and programs)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>servers/misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>desktop environment</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>desktops</filename> (e.g. <filename>kde</filename>,
+ <filename>gnome</filename>, <filename>enlightenment</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>window manager</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/window-managers</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>awesome</filename>, <filename>stumpwm</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an <emphasis>application</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ A (typically large) program with a distinct user interface, primarily
+ used interactively.
+ </para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>version management system</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/version-management</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>subversion</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s for <emphasis>video playback / editing</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/video</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>vlc</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s for <emphasis>graphics viewing / editing</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/graphics</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>gimp</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s for <emphasis>networking</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>mailreader</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/networking/mailreaders</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>thunderbird</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>newsreader</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/networking/newsreaders</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>pan</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>web browser</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/networking/browsers</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>firefox</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/networking/misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>applications/misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s <emphasis>data</emphasis> (i.e., does not have a
+ straight-forward executable semantics):</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>font</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>data/fonts</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s related to <emphasis>SGML/XML processing</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an <emphasis>XML DTD</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>docbook</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s an <emphasis>XSLT stylesheet</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ (Okay, these are executable...)
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <filename>data/sgml+xml/stylesheets/xslt</filename> (e.g.
+ <filename>docbook-xsl</filename>)
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>If it’s a <emphasis>game</emphasis>:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>games</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Else:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <filename>misc</filename>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </section>
+
+ <section xml:id="sec-versioning">
+ <title>Versioning</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Because every version of a package in Nixpkgs creates a potential
+ maintenance burden, old versions of a package should not be kept unless
+ there is a good reason to do so. For instance, Nixpkgs contains several
+ versions of GCC because other packages don’t build with the latest
+ version of GCC. Other examples are having both the latest stable and latest
+ pre-release version of a package, or to keep several major releases of an
+ application that differ significantly in functionality.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If there is only one version of a package, its Nix expression should be
+ named <filename>e2fsprogs/default.nix</filename>. If there are multiple
+ versions, this should be reflected in the filename, e.g.
+ <filename>e2fsprogs/1.41.8.nix</filename> and
+ <filename>e2fsprogs/1.41.9.nix</filename>. The version in the filename
+ should leave out unnecessary detail. For instance, if we keep the latest
+ Firefox 2.0.x and 3.5.x versions in Nixpkgs, they should be named
+ <filename>firefox/2.0.nix</filename> and
+ <filename>firefox/3.5.nix</filename>, respectively (which, at a given
+ point, might contain versions <literal>2.0.0.20</literal> and
+ <literal>3.5.4</literal>). If a version requires many auxiliary files, you
+ can use a subdirectory for each version, e.g.
+ <filename>firefox/2.0/default.nix</filename> and
+ <filename>firefox/3.5/default.nix</filename>.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ All versions of a package <emphasis>must</emphasis> be included in
+ <filename>all-packages.nix</filename> to make sure that they evaluate
+ correctly.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ <section xml:id="sec-sources">
+ <title>Fetching Sources</title>
-</section>
-<section xml:id="sec-sources"><title>Fetching Sources</title>
- <para>There are multiple ways to fetch a package source in nixpkgs. The
- general guideline is that you should package sources with a high degree of
- availability. Right now there is only one fetcher which has mirroring
- support and that is <literal>fetchurl</literal>. Note that you should also
- prefer protocols which have a corresponding proxy environment variable.
+ <para>
+ There are multiple ways to fetch a package source in nixpkgs. The general
+ guideline is that you should package sources with a high degree of
+ availability. Right now there is only one fetcher which has mirroring
+ support and that is <literal>fetchurl</literal>. Note that you should also
+ prefer protocols which have a corresponding proxy environment variable.
</para>
- <para>You can find many source fetch helpers in <literal>pkgs/build-support/fetch*</literal>.
+
+ <para>
+ You can find many source fetch helpers in
+ <literal>pkgs/build-support/fetch*</literal>.
</para>
- <para>In the file <literal>pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix</literal> you can
- find fetch helpers, these have names on the form
- <literal>fetchFrom*</literal>. The intention of these are to provide
- snapshot fetches but using the same api as some of the version controlled
- fetchers from <literal>pkgs/build-support/</literal>. As an example going
- from bad to good:
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Bad: Uses <literal>git://</literal> which won't be proxied.
+
+ <para>
+ In the file <literal>pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix</literal> you can find
+ fetch helpers, these have names on the form <literal>fetchFrom*</literal>.
+ The intention of these are to provide snapshot fetches but using the same
+ api as some of the version controlled fetchers from
+ <literal>pkgs/build-support/</literal>. As an example going from bad to
+ good:
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Bad: Uses <literal>git://</literal> which won't be proxied.
<programlisting>
src = fetchgit {
url = "git://github.com/NixOS/nix.git";
@@ -632,10 +742,11 @@ src = fetchgit {
sha256 = "1cw5fszffl5pkpa6s6wjnkiv6lm5k618s32sp60kvmvpy7a2v9kg";
}
</programlisting>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Better: This is ok, but an archive fetch will still be faster.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Better: This is ok, but an archive fetch will still be faster.
<programlisting>
src = fetchgit {
url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nix.git";
@@ -643,10 +754,11 @@ src = fetchgit {
sha256 = "1cw5fszffl5pkpa6s6wjnkiv6lm5k618s32sp60kvmvpy7a2v9kg";
}
</programlisting>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Best: Fetches a snapshot archive and you get the rev you want.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Best: Fetches a snapshot archive and you get the rev you want.
<programlisting>
src = fetchFromGitHub {
owner = "NixOS";
@@ -655,15 +767,19 @@ src = fetchFromGitHub {
sha256 = "04yri911rj9j19qqqn6m82266fl05pz98inasni0vxr1cf1gdgv9";
}
</programlisting>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section xml:id="sec-patches">
+ <title>Patches</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Patches available online should be retrieved using
+ <literal>fetchpatch</literal>.
</para>
-</section>
-<section xml:id="sec-patches"><title>Patches</title>
- <para>Patches available online should be retrieved using
- <literal>fetchpatch</literal>.</para>
<para>
<programlisting>
patches = [
@@ -675,30 +791,54 @@ patches = [
];
</programlisting>
</para>
- <para>Otherwise, you can add a <literal>.patch</literal> file to the
- <literal>nixpkgs</literal> repository. In the interest of keeping our
- maintenance burden to a minimum, only patches that are unique
- to <literal>nixpkgs</literal> should be added in this way.</para>
-<para><programlisting>
+
+ <para>
+ Otherwise, you can add a <literal>.patch</literal> file to the
+ <literal>nixpkgs</literal> repository. In the interest of keeping our
+ maintenance burden to a minimum, only patches that are unique to
+ <literal>nixpkgs</literal> should be added in this way.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+<programlisting>
patches = [ ./0001-changes.patch ];
-</programlisting></para>
- <para>If you do need to do create this sort of patch file,
- one way to do so is with git:
- <orderedlist>
- <listitem><para>Move to the root directory of the source code
- you're patching.<screen>
-$ cd the/program/source</screen></para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>If a git repository is not already present,
- create one and stage all of the source files.<screen>
+</programlisting>
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If you do need to do create this sort of patch file, one way to do so is
+ with git:
+ <orderedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Move to the root directory of the source code you're patching.
+<screen>
+$ cd the/program/source</screen>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ If a git repository is not already present, create one and stage all of
+ the source files.
+<screen>
$ git init
-$ git add .</screen></para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Edit some files to make whatever changes need
- to be included in the patch.</para></listitem>
- <listitem><para>Use git to create a diff, and pipe the output
- to a patch file:<screen>
+$ git add .</screen>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Edit some files to make whatever changes need to be included in the
+ patch.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Use git to create a diff, and pipe the output to a patch file:
+<screen>
$ git diff > nixpkgs/pkgs/the/package/0001-changes.patch</screen>
- </para></listitem>
- </orderedlist></para>
-</section>
-
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </orderedlist>
+ </para>
+ </section>
</chapter>