Subject: Re: [bug#41040] [PATCH] Package Definition for QDirStat

From: Jack Hill <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 5 May 2020 00:01:33 -0400 (EDT)

Thovthe,

On Sun, 3 May 2020, Thovthe via Guix-patches via wrote:

> Here is a package definition for QDirStat, an excellent tool for
> checking what files are taking up space on your system.  This is
> my first guix module and it was made with help from Ryan Prior
> (github.com/sponsors/ryanprior).  I have confirmed that it builds
> and runs on aarch64 but the only system I have available is this
> fairly anemic arm laptop so I haven't tested the other
> architectures.  Suggestions, testing, questions, comments and
> education welcomed.

Thanks for contributing this patch to Guix! I have some suggestions for 
how it can be cleaned up so that it can be included in the distribution.

> From 9e56b8c2f5602c20ee5796de7af019ef640167cb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> From: Thovthe <[email-masked]>
> Date: Sat, 2 May 2020 22:48:30 +0000
> Subject: [PATCH] 2020-05-02  Thovthe  [email-masked]
>
> * added new package definition for QDirStat at gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm

Guix uses a very structured changelog format for commit messages. I find 
that the best way to figure it out is to look at the existing git log. In 
this case the commit message should be something like:

```
gnu: Add qdirstat.

* gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm: New file.
* gnu/local.mk (GNU_SYSTEM_MODULES): Add it.
```

> ---
> gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm | 46 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 46 insertions(+)
> create mode 100644 gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm
>
> diff --git a/gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm b/gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm
> new file mode 100644
> index 0000000000..91581a206e
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/gnu/packages/qdirstat.scm

As you may have guessed from my proposed commit message, when adding a new 
file, you should also add it to the appropriate section in gnu/local.mk

> @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
> +(define-module (qdirstat)

The module name should be (gnu packages qdirstat) to match the file path 
of the module.

If you'll permit me to speculate a little bit: I suspect that you 
developed this package outside of the main Guix repository. You can test 
the patches locally on your end by applying them to a git checkout of 
the guix repository and running guix from that checkout. See the manual 
pages on Building from Git and Running Guix Before it is Installed.

https://guix.gnu.org/manual/en/html_node/Building-from-Git.html
https://guix.gnu.org/manual/en/html_node/Running-Guix-Before-It-Is-Installed.html

> +  #:use-module (gnu packages qt)
> +  #:use-module (gnu packages compression)
> +  #:use-module (guix build-system gnu)
> +  #:use-module (guix git-download)
> +  #:use-module ((guix licenses) #:prefix license:)
> +  #:use-module (guix packages))

Since this is a new file, let's go ahead and sort these alphabetically.

> +(define-public qdirstat
> +  (package
> +    (name "qdirstat")
> +    (version "1.6.1")
> +    (source
> +     (origin
> +       (method git-fetch)
> +       (uri (git-reference
> +             (url "https://github.com/shundhammer/qdirstat.git")
> +             (commit version)))
> +       (file-name (git-file-name name version))
> +       (sha256
> +        (base32 "0q77a347qv1aka6sni6l03zh5jzyy9s74aygg554r73g01kxczpb"))))
> +    (build-system gnu-build-system)
> +    (arguments
> +     `(#:phases
> +       (modify-phases %standard-phases
> +         (replace 'configure
> +           (lambda* (#:key outputs #:allow-other-keys)
> +             (invoke "qmake"
> +                     (string-append "PREFIX="
> +                                    (assoc-ref outputs "out"))
> +                     (string-append "INSTALL_PREFIX="
> +                   (assoc-ref outputs "out"))))))))

It is our custom to have all phases return #t

> +
> +    (inputs
> +     `(("qtbase" ,qtbase)))

I think that perl should be added as input, so that the #! line of 
qdirstat-cache-writer can be patched to refer to a perl in the store.

> +    (native-inputs
> +     `(("zlib" ,zlib)

I think zlib should be an input rather than a native-input since the code 
seems to link to it. Remember that the reason for native-inputs verses 
inputs is that native-inputs are needed on the host side when cross 
compiling.

> +       ("qttools" ,qttools)))
> +    (home-page "https://github.com/shundhammer/qdirstat")
> +    (synopsis "Graphical disk space inspection utility")
> +    (description
> +     "QDirStat is a graphical application to show where your disk space has
> +gone and to help you to clean it up.  Shaded boxes represent files and files
> +are grouped by directory structure."  )

Some formatting nitpicks: you can go ahead and start the description on 
the same line as "(description". Also there is an extra space between the 
closing quote and closing parentheses.

The best terms I found when searching for similar packages that we already 
have in Guix where, "disk usage", so I think it would be good idea to work 
usage into the synopsis or description somehow. Perhaps change the 
synopsis to say, "disk usage inspection" or the description to say, "show 
your disk usage and help you clean it up."

> +    (license license:gpl2+)))

qdirstat-cache-writer has a different license in its header. It's an … 
interesting licence :) I think it's free software, so eligable for 
inclusion in Guix, but probably worth recording here, so that the licence 
field becomes:

(license (list license:gpl2+
                license:non-copyleft)) ; scripts/qdirstat-cache-writer

For bonus points, it might be nice to move qdirstat-cache-writer to its 
own output since it is made to be run independently of QDirStat and that 
way it could be installed without pulling in all the C++ and Graphical 
dependencies.

Can you send an updated patch?

Thanks again,
Jack