xut : xtra user templates

Installs and updates unofficial packages for Void Linux.

Created and tested for/with the abyss-packages repo. Working with other unofficial repos is supported partially. Code contributions, testing and general coordination is highly appreciated!

This script is in the alpha stage.

Why and how

The xbps-src package builder for voidlinux is a really powerful tool, but it only works with a single repository, the void-packages repo. The only straightforward way to add software to repo provide it in an accessible way to the users is to send PRs and be accepted. That created a well-maintained and curated repository by the distribution developers but impedes the inclusion of software that the same maintainers decide - for entirely valid reasons - to not accept.

xut tries to provide a solution for users that need more packages that cannot be provided in the official repos. It clones the void-packages, the abyss-packages repository and possibly other third party repos, merges the templates from unofficial repos to the clone of void-packages and installs or updates sw with a single command.

Install and setup

1. Clone this repo, run the xut command directly from the clone or install using the Makefile.
2. Use the xutconf.sample if you want to modify configuration.
3. The script depends on:
   • sh and the posix userland (*),
   • xbps >= 0.60,
   • git,
   • mktemp,
   • the xi tool from the xtools package which requires a working sudo configuration, (for installation/update).
   • the tput tool from ncurses (optional).

Note that xut will run in other distributions that have the above tools available, but installing (-i) and upgrading (-u) packages is disabled. In this case, xi is not needed.

(*) xut uses posix sh and tries to use only the posix userland utilities. The local keyword may be used in the future, but effort is being made to use only the extensions that are supported in gnu coreutils, busybox and the bsd userland (additional arguments).

Todo

• Deal with shlibs in order to package more complex sw or modified packages from the upstream repos.
• Implement a way to handle package updates gracefully. [-u argument]
• Search for a practical way to enable more than one unofficial repos (Inteligent merging by @zenobit available from 0.4.1).
• ... (suggestions are welcome, working code even more welcome)

Usage

xut [options]

Examples

• Build packages (without installing them):

xut -b package1,package2

• Sync repos and install packages:

xut -si package1,package2

• Use the above command with logging enabled:

xut -sli package1,package2

• Execute an xbps-command in the merged repo:

xut -x <command>

• Update packages after syncing repos:

xut -su