Re: [PATCH] scripts: package: Add --install-from-file option.

[Taylan Ulrich Bayırlı/Kammer]

"Thompson, David" <address@hidden> writes:

> On Wed, Aug 19, 2015 at 4:27 AM, Amirouche Boubekki
> <address@hidden> wrote:
>
>> What about dispatch `guix package -i` depending on the argument. In
>> principle there will be no "*.scm$" packages so the above could be
>>
>>       guix package -i package.scm
>>
>> The idea behind that is to keep the number of command to minimum. In this
>> case, IMO, it makes sens to merge both logic inside the same UI.
>
> That won't work because it creates ambiguities in the package spec
> syntax.  How can one tell if a package spec or a file name was passed
> with 100% accuracy?  You can't, and we'd have to use a heuristic that
> would surely fail in some awful way for someone.  It's best for this
> to be a separate argument.
>
> - Dave

Sometimes a 99.9% solution is acceptable IMO.  Packages named "foo.scm"
should be exceedingly rare in first place, and then if you also have a
file of that name in the current directory...

Another option might be to expect a slash in the string, i.e. forcing
"./" if the file's in the current directory:

    guix package -i ./package.scm

Happening to have a package with a slash in its name, ending in .scm,
and coinciding with the relative or absolute path of a file existing on
your filesystem, ought to be implausible.

Just my two cents from glancing over the discussion though.  No strong
opinions.  Additional flag is fine too by me.

Taylan