Package manger - Script Language

[Dr. Fred]

What do you think? Sort of Batch sort of event driven, and very powerful.

Looks good.

Why cant you make the ROS shell more or less unix like but at the same time windows compatible, so you would have no problems at all

1. We are not talk about a shell we are talking about a script lang for the package manger.
2. Most Windows User would not want it.

[Pythagoras1]

However I would vote for Python if available.

at least the language should support structured programming (maybe basic?).

[Dr. Fred]

I started coding a simple Basic Interpreter yesterday. I hope to finish it this weekend.

PS: I made it C++, not C as I orignally wanted. Coding a Interpreter without using the STL is even hard enought.

[Drs]

Why not use Perl? Perl is an excellent scripting language and does everything you could ever dream to do

[Tristan]

Hi Dr Fred,

I think that you need to decide exactly what your package manager is going to do before you decide on a scripting language.
Looking at the example you posted (oversimplified, I know) you don't need any language at all. A simple shell script would do the trick without the need for you to re-invent the wheel and write a new interpreter.

Perhaps people on this forum could help with a set of requirements? I would like to see how things like error handling and dependency checking would work.

Why not have a look at RPM, or Java Webstart, or even Installshield for ideas? They all work pretty well.

I would personally like to see something along the lines of the ant build tool (http://ant.apache.org) where the 'script' is an XML file. It would save you a lot of work since your interpreter would simply be an XML parser. The other nice thing is that it would be trivial to generate new scripts from a wide variety of applications.

[Dr. Fred]

I think that you need to decide exactly what your package manager is going to do before you decide on a scripting language.

Well. I'm tried of planning after 158 posts about the topic. There still things to think about e.g. that might the API look like, but most things are clear now.

A simple shell script would do the trick without the need for you to re-invent the wheel.

The problem is the error handling. How should a shell-script (or batch-file in windows) report to the program that something went wrong ?

I would like to see how things like error handling and dependency checking would work.

Maybe I should update the wiki. However the program works like this works like this:
1. download tree file from SVN (using http interface)
2. let the user browse trow the tree
3. If he clicks on a icon the description file (dependencies are listed here too) will be downloaded
4. he has chooses all packages he wants to install
5. the program downlaods the script files and interpretes them.
6. when something wents wrong the installation of the package will be stopped

Why not have a look at RPM, or Java Webstart, or even Installshield for ideas?

Actually I think, we have enough ideas here. And the this are no good sources for ideas.

It would save you a lot of work since your interpreter would simply be an XML parser.

We have ready thought about something like that, but i don't think that this is much harder to implement.

[Harteex]

A simple shell script would do the trick without the need for you to re-invent the wheel.

The problem is the error handling. How should a shell-script (or batch-file in windows) report to the program that something went wrong ?

In batch files in windows you can check on ERRORLEVEL.

[Tristan]

OK. There are thousands of different solutions to every problem. My opinion is that creating yet another scripting language is overkill - particularly when (a perfectly good?) one already exists in your shell.
To be fair though, a potential problem with this approach is that ROS may eventually have a number of different shells available - each with their own scripting languages.

<shameless plug>
I still think an XML configuration file is best. It can be automatically generated by build tools (helping application developers) AND it is inherently cross-platform.
</shameless plug>

[Dr. Fred]

I don't think that there is a script lang, called batch-files, we could use that easy. I've never seen a program that uses that as it's script lang.

And about the XML thing. That is just not that is XML has been made for. XML is made for descriptions that is what we will use it for.

[Dr. Fred]

I've just uploaded what i have done at the weekend.

Here

[Phalanx]

Maybe the install functions could be part of an object like app is an object with many functions. Call it something like install, so
install.download "http://yada.com/ft.cab"
Could we also have a form of resources stored in an xml file. That way the EULA or what every could be found in the XML file.

[Dr. Fred]

Maybe the install functions could be part of an object like app is an object with many functions.

That could be done easily. Just chance the name form "download" to "whatever.download". I don't know what the others want.

Could we also have a form of resources stored in an xml file. That way the EULA or what every could be found in the XML file.

I don't if I understood you right, but I think that was already planed.

[frik85]

Maybe the install functions could be part of an object like app is an object with many functions.

That could be done easily. Just chance the name form "download" to "whatever.download". I don't know what the others want.

Yes, I like the vbscript way!

Code: Select all

rps.download("http://www.xyz.com/file01.zip")

RPS stand for Ros Packet Script (Host)