Subject: bug#22981: guix-edit does not find git checkout directory

From: myglc2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2016 21:00:29 -0500

Alex Kost <[email-masked]> writes:

> myglc2 (2016-03-11 17:45 +0300) wrote:
>
>> Alex Kost <[email-masked]> writes:
> [...]
>>> Anyway, you can configure any directory for "M-x guix-edit" by setting
>>> 'guix-directory' variable.  See (info "(guix) Emacs Commands").  It is
>>> not in the hmtl manual yet.
>>
>> But what is the _recommended_ way to do this?
>
> I would say the recommended way is A, as it only effects this particular
> task (sets a default directory with guix packages for emacs), but this
> is free software(!), you can use whatever you like and the way you want.
>
>> A) set 'guix-directory' variable in emacs init file?
>
> I set this var in my emacs config.
>
>> B) make symbolic link to ~/src/guix from ~/.config/guix/latest?
>
> Actually, I use this too, because this is one of the general solutions
> to use guix from a git checkout.
>
>> C) something else?
>
> Christopher Allan Webber invented another interesting way of using guix
> emacs stuff with guix from git¹:
>
> (setq guix-guile-program '(".../guix/pre-inst-env" "guile"))
>
>> And if a _new_ user starts reading in "8.1 Building from Git", how do
>> they find this information?
>
> Since you want to use "M-x guix-edit" command, you are supposed to read
> its docstring (C-h f guix-edit) or a part of the manual where it is
> described.  You can learn about 'guix-directory' variable from both
> places.
>
> ¹ http://dustycloud.org/blog/guix-package-manager-without-make-install

Thank you for this great summary. This list + the post you referenced
make me feel better that I am taking so long to figure Guix out ;)

OTOH, guix as more state-full than I had hoped ;(

I suggest that you think of it this way: You are running an easter egg
hunt (I hope this is an OK analogy). You have awesome eggs (No kidding,
I can attest that the Guix eggs are truly awesome).  When the children
find the eggs they will be truly happy. But the eggs are hard to
find. If the children don't find the eggs they will not be happy!  Worse
yet, your eggs will be wasted! So ... make it easy for children to find
your eggs.

You probably already thought of this: Can guix be made easier to use by
converting some of the state-full guix configuration into guix recipe
inputs?