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makepb = PKGBUILD generator
---------------------------

This collection of old fashioned shell/awk scripts can be used to generate
PKGBUILDs auto-magically. The target audiences are both users looking for
means of generating packages for requisites (like Perl packages) as well as
package maintainers who want a semi-automated solution that can be customized.

I. PKGINFO

PKGINFO files are simple text files that contain the data that will be
converted into a PKGBUILD script. Using a simple key/value line-based
format, we can shuttle values around and translate them through shell
pipelines. The format of each key/value pair is simple and familiar:

key
value1
...
valueN
empty line

This is how we store PKGBUILD fields, conventionally represented as Bash
assignments in the PKGBUILD script. Fields such as pkgname, pkgvar, pkgdesc,
etc are stored in the PKGINFO in this manner. Less predictibly, the PKGBUILD
functions ("build", "check", "package") are also stored in the PKGINFO. Custom
variables are stored as well, and can be identified as having key names
which begin with underscores.

II. makepb

The makepb script reads a PKGINFO file from standard input and writes a
PKGBUILD script to standard output. This is rather straight-forward. PKGBUILD
fields are generally conceived as having distinctive types and these are
respected (i.e. pkgname is a string and source is an array). Quoting is less
strict than would be the ardent adherents of single quotes, double quotes, and
${parameter} expansions. Obsession with shell style and so-called types seems
like a waste of time to me. I prefer no quotes at all if I can get away with
it.

III. modpkg

The modpkg script reads a PKGINFO from standard input and writes a modified
PKGINFO to standard output. As a parameter, modpkg takes the path of a modpkg
script, from which it interprets actions to be performed on the PKGINFO data.
These scripts are written in a very simple, wholly line-based language. Both
the commands and the data are read as a line, with no line-extending special
characters.

Commands:
  set   - Set a key to a single value: the rest of the line.
  push  - Adds a value to the end of a key's value list.
  slip  - Preprends a value to the beginning of a key's value list.
  move  - Move a list of matching values from one key to another.
  split - Split every value of a key, based around their whitespace.
  fmt   - Format a key's first value, sprintf style. (Discards other values)

The default location to find modpkg scripts is in ~/pkg/mods/. This is where
the package generating scripts, below, will search but you can override this
by setting the MODSDIR environment variable (or editing them). I found the need
to automate slight modifications to packages while performing duties as a
package maintainer. The advantage of modpkg scripts is that your customizations
are recorded in a simple form. These mods are usually needed for later releases
and can then easily be applied. Changes, which are usually slight, can also be
made to modpkg scripts as necessary.

IV. perlpkg

The perlpkg script generates PKGBUILD files for perl distributions it finds
on CPAN. This script keeps an index of CPAN distributions and modules under
the ~/.perlpkg directory. The curl program is required to download the CPAN
index as well as fetch the META information for the requisite CPAN distrib-
ution.

Distributions are like packages, in that they contain perl module (.pm) files
as well as information regarding what other modules are required to execute
these contents. The distribution names use hyphens and are usually named after
the main-module contained inside. Pass the distribution name as argument to
download the distributable tarball and generate a PKGINFO in the current dir-
ectory. After the PKGINFO is generated it is run through modpkg. Finally a
PKGBUILD is generated from the result.

V. cpanpkg

This handy script uses perlpkg to fetch the distribution named as a command-
line argument. After creating the package, and before it builds and installs
it, cpanpkg will perform the same operation to every module depended on by
the package which cannot be loaded by perl. This is a handy replacement
for the much more complicated CPANPLUS, for which I have written a plugin to
accomplish the same thing.

Because many packages may be generated they cannot all be downloaded and gen-
erated in the current directory. cpanpkg stores these packages by default un-
der the ~/pkg/src/ directory. You can override this by setting the PKGDIR env-
ironment variable.

VI. Contact

I release this small project into the Public Domain.
Justin Davis <[email protected]>
June 5, 2015