[PATCH] [TRY#2] Visual package installer & docs

[ OK, this is a revamped patch. I've tested the broken EFS code, and it definitely works now. ] [ I'm not sure if this should really go into 21.0, but I'll let others decide. ] Here is a patch for B54 that implements the visual package installer (sorry about gzip'ing it, but it's big), with documentation updates. Although it's almost, but not quite, complete, I think it's better to send out what I have now, to get any necessary feedback (and bug reports ;-). ChangeLogs are attached, but the important highlights are: * The function `display-completion-list' was modified to take another optional keyword, `:completion-string', which allows the programmer to change the "Possible completions are:" prompt. While this is a worthwhile change, the reason for making this change is suspect: with this change, it's now possible to use `display-completion-list' as a general-purpose function for cleanly displaying a neatly-formatted list of objects. In the case of the visual package browser/installer, it's being used to format and display a list of packages to install. * Added a new menu pick to access the browser/installer: Options->Customize->List Packages The elisp command is `pui-list-packages', which is not currently bound to any key sequence. * Added ability to install packages from a local disk/CDROM, in addition to using EFS. * In addition to .tar.gz package files, the code will now search for package files with a .tgz extension. * If an existing package is updated with a newer one, the old package lisp directory is deleted. This is done using an all-elisp function for portability, instead of system tools like "rm -rf" or "deltree" or "rmdir /s". * No longer uses "add-big-package.sh". Under Unix, it calls gunzip and tar directly. However, unlike add-big-package.sh, it won't create the top-level package directory. * As a questionable convenience, after installing a package, the code tries to load "auto-autoloads", and updates `load-path' to include the package lisp directory. This shouldn't be a problem, but it needs to be fixed, just in case. * Native MS windows users (not cygwin users) can now set `package-admin-default-install-function' to `package-admin-install-function-mswindows', to install packages. However, this function uses "djtar" to extract .tar.gz packages, and few people have djtar. Currently, the user has to manually change this variable; a future version will automatically do this for the user. Here are the "TODO" items remaining, in no particular order (and I don't know how much time I'll have to do these): 1. Error handling is still lacking in areas. 2. Need to further document package installation (in particular, MS Windows docs are missing). Also need to document some of the faces used by the browser/installer. 3. Need to add a function to download (via EFS) a new copy of package-get-base.el. 4. Need to provide a way to install packages into ~/.xemacs/packages; currently, all packages are installed in the system package directory. 5. Need to automatically select between Unix/cygwin and native MS Windows installation methods. 6. Need to document new keyword for `display-completion-list'. 7. Need to create top-level package directory, if it doesn't already exist. 8. Need to somehow provide an uninstall method. 9. Need to delete more than just the package lisp directory, when updating a package. xemacs-21.0/lisp ChangeLog: =============================================================================== 1998-09-03 Darryl Okahata <darrylo(a)sr.hp.com&gt; * list-mode.el: `display-completion-list': added new/optional keyword `:completion-string', which allows the programmer to change the "Possible completions are:" prompt. * menubar-items.el: Added new pulldown menu-pick to start up the visual package browser/installer: Options->Customize->List Packages * package-admin.el: Added hooks for installing under both Unix and MS Windows. Does additional error checking. No longer calls "add-big-package.sh" to install packages under Unix; now calls gunzip & tar directly. * package-get.el: Added ability to install packages from files on a local disk/CDROM. Now deletes any existing package lisp directory. Does completion on available packages when querying for package names. Will also search for .tgz files in addition for .tar.gz files. Tries to reload auto-autoloads, as a convenience when loading new packages, and also tries to add any new package paths to `load-path'. Changed all occurences of `concat' to use `expand-file-name'. * package-ui.el: New file which implements the main visual package browser/installer, which is started via a menu pick or M-x pui-list packages. =============================================================================== xemacs-21.0/man/xemacs ChangeLog: =============================================================================== 1998-09-03 Darryl Okahata <darrylo(a)sr.hp.com&gt; * packages.texi: Correct and update package documentation. Updated the package installation section to mention the visual package browser/installer. Added a section on manually installing binary packages. =============================================================================== -- Darryl Okahata darrylo(a)sr.hp.com DISCLAIMER: this message is the author's personal opinion and does not constitute the support, opinion, or policy of Hewlett-Packard, or of the little green men that have been following him all day.