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I have come to the conclusion that #Emacs' documentation on how to build multi-file packages is all lies.

screwlisp reshared this.

in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

As a side note, can any #Emacs wizards explain to me why this package won't install?
cloud.jlamothe.net/index.php/s…
#AskFedi

reshared this

in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

FWIW it seems to be complaining that the package description is nil. Two things about this:

  1. define-package lists this argument as optional.
  2. It's supplied anyway.
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

• (eepitch-shell)
cd foo
tar xvf testpackage-0-0.tar
• (add-to-list 'load-path "~/foo/testpackage-0.0")
• (load "testpackage")
• (apropos "testpackage")
=>
testpackage-func is an interactive Lisp function in ‘testpackage.el’.

(testpackage-func)

A test function

[back]works on my machine
@sacha

in reply to screwlisp

@screwlisp @Sacha Chua When I try to install it with M-x package-install-file it gives me:

Wrong type argument: stringp, nil

When I use the debugger it seems to be caused by it thinking the package description is nil? I'll try to dig deeper.

in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

Ah, yeah, I thought a little bit more and you weren't actually saying I-want-to-load-this-file. I guess the concept of a package in emacs lisp does not resemble common lisp at all. I.e. a symbol doesn't have a package like a lisp symbol does. Packaging refers to packaging e.g. a mode for distribution, right? At which point I think we would refer to e.g. melpa github.com/melpa/melpa?tab=rea… about what melpa wants you to do. That's my 25 cents anyway.
@sacha
in reply to screwlisp

@screwlisp @Sacha Chua Yeah, I can build simple packages, but the description for how to build a multi-file package seems not to work.

Most packages are distributed in the simple format, but if you want to include a manual for instance, you need a multi-file package.

in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

If we look at Xahlee's site here: xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/elisp_… he notes that
"The terms “Package” and “Library” do not have technical meaning in elisp.

The term “module” is not used by emacs."

} really, we are concerned with writing modes for emacs. Packaging them for distribution means meeting the package-source's requirements for the mode to be built and then distributed from a git, e.g.. That is my other 25 cents ;p.

in reply to Jonathan Lamothe

I thought maybe it needed to be in some GNU variant of the tar format for Emacs to be able to read it, but when I just open the tar file directly in Emacs I get a directory listing and can read all the files, so that's not it.

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