[Nix-dev] Trying to fix bzr-tools-1.5 package...

[Bárður Árantsson]

Hi all,

I'm trying to fix the bzr-tools-1.5 package, but I've run into a bit of 
a snag which I need some help with.

First of all: the reason that the current bzr-tools package doesn't work 
is that it just  dumps everything into /usr/share/bzrtools (or some 
such) where bazaar won't ever find it -- it don't think it even 
"precompiles" the py files.

So, I've tried to fix it, by changing the Nix expression to:

     args : with args;
     if ! bazaar.python.readlineSupport then
       throw "Bazaar Tools require readline support in python."
     else
     rec {
       src = fetchurl { ... };
       buildInputs = [python];
       configureFlags = [];
       phaseNames = [ "installPythonPackage" ];
       name = "bzr-tools-1.5";
       meta = {
         description = "Bazaar plugins.";
       };
     }

(I've omitted the fetchurl for readability -- it's the same as in the 
original.)

This seems to work in that it properly installs everything into

     /lib/python2.5/bzrlib/plugins

which is where Bazaar normally reads its plugins from.

The only problem now is that the "bzr" wrapper executable installed by 
the "bazaar" package looks like this:

    #! /nix/store/vdzbaimmqgnzbv41jlz04h0pfwxi9vc6-bash-3.2-p39/bin/sh -e
    export 
PYTHONPATH=/nix/store/z58bxgvijyc8v7zc6rzfcbm0dz14s5r5-bazaar-1.5/lib/python2.5/site-packages${PYTHONPATH:+:}$PYTHONPATH
    exec 
"/nix/store/z58bxgvijyc8v7zc6rzfcbm0dz14s5r5-bazaar-1.5/bin/.wrapped-bzr" 
  "$@"


Of course, this means that it won't find the bzrtools plugin since the 
plugin is located in a different store directory.

Does anyone have any clues as to how I can get Bazaar to "see" the 
bzrtools directory?

In case it helps, Bazaar also honours an environment variable called 
BZR_PLUGIN_PATH (works identically to PATH, i.e. uses a ':' separator).
Of course I could just set that in my user session, but it's
unsatisfactory that the package doesn't do this automatically.

I suppose another alternative would be to make bzrtools an 'option' of 
the bazaar package to force it to install into the same store directory 
as bazaar, but that also seems unsatisfactory.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers,

-- 
Bardur Arantsson
<bardurREMOVE at THISscientician.net>

- There are a thousand forms of subversion, all of them
interesting. But few, in my opinion, can equal the convenience
and immediacy of the cream pie.
                                                       Noël Godin