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[sxemacs] / README.packages

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The SXEmacs Packages Quick Start Guide
-------------------------------------

This text is intended to help you get started installing a new SXEmacs and
its packages.  For more details see the 'Startup Paths' and 'Packages'
sections of the SXEmacs info manual.

* Real Real Quickstart FAQ
--------------------------

Q. Do I need to have the packages to compile SXEmacs?

A. Theoretically, no -- SXEmacs will build and install just fine without any
   packages installed.  However, only the most basic editing functions will
   be available with no packages installed, so installing packages is an
   essential part of making your installed SXEmacs _useful_.

Q. How do I tell SXEmacs where to find the packages?

A. Normally, you put the packages under $prefix/share/sxemacs/*-packages, where
   $prefix is specified using the `--prefix' parameter to `configure'.
   (See `Package hierarchies' below).  However, if you have the packages
   somewhere else (e.g. you're a developer and are compiling the packages
   yourself, and want your own private copy of everything), use the
   `--with-package-path' parameter, something like this:

   configure --with-package-path="~/.sxemacs::/src/sxemacs/site-packages:/src/sxemacs/xemacs-packages:/src/sxemacs/mule-packages" ...

Q. After installing, I want SXEmacs to do `foo', but when I invoke it
   (or click the toolbar button or select the menu item), nothing (or
   an error) happens, and it used to work.

A. See the first FAQ; you may be missing a package that is essential to
   you.  You can either track it down and install it, or install the
   `Sumo Tarball' (see the second FAQ).

* A note of caution
-------------------

The SXEmacs package system is still in its infancy. Please expect a few
minor hurdles on the way. Also neither the interface nor the structure is
set in stone. The SXEmacs maintainers reserve the right to sacrifice
backwards compatibility as quirks are worked out over the coming
releases.

* Some package theory
---------------------

In order to reduce the size and increase the maintainability of
SXEmacs, we don't bundle or ship any elisp packages, other than a
"bare bones" assortment of elisp that gives SXEmacs fairly basic
functionality. 

The SXEmacs team doesn't host any package repositories, and doesn't
maintain any packages.  But there's no need for concern, SXEmacs can
use the XEmacs packages without problem.

* Package hierarchies
---------------------

On Startup SXEmacs looks for packages in so-called package hierarchies.
Normally, there are up to four system wide hierarchies, like this:

$prefix/share/sxemacs/xemacs-packages/
     Normal packages go here.

$prefix/share/sxemacs/mule-packages/
     Mule packages go here and are only searched by MULE-enabled SXEmacsen.

$prefix/share/sxemacs/site-packages/
     Local and 3rd party packages go here.

$prefix/share/sxemacs/sxemacs-packages/
     SXEmacs-specific go here (none exist yet)

This is what you get when you untar the SUMO tarballs under
$prefix/share/sxemacs.

$prefix is specified using the `--prefix' parameter to `configure', and
defaults to `/usr/local'.

If your packages are located in the above directories, SXEmacs will
automatically find them at startup; however, if you have your packages
somewhere else (e.g. you're a developer and are compiling the packages
yourself, and want your own private copy of everything), you can tell
SXEmacs specifically where to look for the packages by using the
`--with-package-path' parameter to the 'configure' script.  Normally, it looks
like this:

configure --with-package-path="~/.xemacs::/src/xemacs/site-packages:/src/xemacs/xemacs-packages:/src/xemacs/mule-packages" ...

See `configure --help' for more info about the format of this parameter.

Note: Most people will _not_ need to set --with-package-path

* Where to get the packages
---------------------------

Packages are available from ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/packages
and its mirrors.

* Bootstrapping the package tools
---------------------------------
You only need to read this section if you do not have _any_ XEmacs
packages installed.

Unlike XEmacs, SXEmacs' package tools are usable without having to
manually install any packages to "bootstrap" it.  There are two
requirements for this to work...

        1. Your SXEmacs includes support for FFI. Configure
           automatically detects it if you have it.  And this quick
           test will return `t' if you do...

                M-: (featurep 'ffi) RET

        2. libcurl.so installed.  Note that you do not need this library
           to build SXEmacs.

All you have to do now is...

        1. Set a download site...

                Menu:  Tools -> Packages -> Set Download Site ->

        2. `M-x pui-bootstrap RET'

That's it!  What will happen is that SXEmacs will download and install
the latest package-index file.  Then it will download and install the
latest versions of the EFS and xemacs-base packages.  Finally, SXEmacs
will ask you if you want to install more packages.  At this point,
SXEmacs reverts back to "normal" PUI behaviour (using EFS to download
the packages).


* How to install the packages
-----------------------------
There are a few different ways to install packages:

        1. Automatically, using the package tools from SXEmacs.
        2. Manually, using individual package tarballs.
        3. Manually, all at once, using the 'Sumo Tarball'.
        4. The lazy (smart) XEmacs users' way.

** Automatically, using the package tools from SXEmacs
-----------------------------------------------------

SXEmacs comes with some tools to make the periodic updating and
installing easier. It will notice if new packages or versions are
available and will fetch them from the FTP site.

  (1) Choose a download site.
      - via menu: Tools -> Packages -> Set Download Site 
      - via keyb: M-x customize-variable RET package-get-remote RET
        (put in the details of remote host and directory)

      If the package tarballs _AND_ the package-index file are in a
      local directory, you can: M-x pui-set-local-package-get-directory RET

  (2) Obtain a list of packages and display the list in a buffer named
      "*Packages*".
      - menu: Tools -> Packages -> List & Install
      - keyb: M-x pui-list-packages RET

      SXEmacs will now connect to the remote site and download the
      latest package-index file.

      The resulting buffer, "*Packages*" has brief instructions at the
      end of the buffer.

  (3) Choose the packages you wish to install.
      - mouse: Click button 2 on the package name.
      -  keyb: RET on the package name

  (4) Make sure you have everything you need.
      - menu: Packages -> Add Required
      - keyb: r

      SXEmacs will now search for packages that are required by the
      ones that you have chosen to install and offer to select
      those packages also.

      For novices and gurus alike, this step can save your bacon.
      It's easy to forget to install a critical package.

  (5) Download and install the packages.
      - menu: Packages -> Install/Remove Selected
      - keyb: x

** Manually, using individual package tarballs
----------------------------------------------

Fetch the packages from the FTP site, CD-ROM whatever. The filenames
have the form name-<version>-pkg.tar.gz and are gzipped tar files. For
a fresh install it is sufficient to untar the file at the top of the
package hierarchy. 

Note: If you are upgrading packages already installed, it's best to
remove the old package first (see 'Upgrading/Removing Packages' below).

For example if we are installing the 'xemacs-base'
package (version 1.48):

   mkdir $prefix/share/sxemacs/xemacs-packages RET # if it does not exist yet
   cd $prefix/share/sxemacs/xemacs-packages RET
   gunzip -c /path/to/xemacs-base-1.48-pkg.tar.gz | tar xvf - RET

Or if you have GNU tar, the last step can be:

   tar zxvf /path/to/xemacs-base-1.48-pkg.tar.gz RET

For MULE related packages, it is best to untar into the mule-packages
hierarchy, i.e. for the mule-base package, version 1.37:

   mkdir $prefix/share/sxemacs/mule-packages RET # if it does not exist yet
   cd $prefix/share/sxemacs/mule-packages RET
   gunzip -c /path/to/mule-base-1.37-pkg.tar.gz | tar xvf - RET

Or if you have GNU tar, the last step can be:

   tar zxvf /path/to/mule-base-1.37-pkg.tar.gz RET


** Manually, all at once, using the 'Sumo Tarball'
--------------------------------------------------

Those with little time, cheap connections and plenty of disk space can
install all the packages at once using the sumo tarballs.
Download the file:

   xemacs-sumo.tar.gz

For an SXEmacs compiled with Mule you also may want:

   xemacs-mule-sumo.tar.gz

N.B. They are called 'Sumo Tarballs' for good reason. They are
currently about 19MB and 4.5MB (gzipped) respectively.

Install them by:

   cd $prefix/share/sxemacs ; gunzip -c <tarballname> | tar xvf - RET

Or, if you have GNU tar:

   cd $prefix/share/sxemacs ; tar zxvf /path/to/<tarballname> RET

As the Sumo tarballs are not regenerated as often as the individual
packages, it is recommended that you use the automatic package tools
afterwards to pick up any recent updates.

** The lazy (smart) XEmacs users' way
-------------------------------------

If you are a XEmacs user and already have all the packages installed
in the XEmacs locations, here is a quick and easy way to get SXEmacs
to see and use them too...

  ln -svf /usr/local/lib/xemacs /usr/local/share/sxemacs RET

You can do the same with your ~/.xemacs directory too...

  ln -svf ~/.xemacs ~/.sxemacs RET


* After Installation
--------------------

Updated packages can only be used by SXEmacs after a restart.

* Which Packages to install?
----------------------------

This is difficult to say. When in doubt install a package. If you
administrate a big site it might be a good idea to just install
everything. A good minimal set of packages for SXEmacs-latin1 would be

xemacs-base, xemacs-devel, c-support, cc-mode, debug, dired, efs,
edit-utils, mail-lib, net-utils, os-utils, prog-modes, text-modes,
time 

If you are using the SXEmacs package tools, don't forget to do:

        Packages -> Add Required

To make sure you have everything that the packages you have chosen to
install need.

See also '.../etc/PACKAGES' for further descriptions of the individual
packages.

* Upgrading/Removing Packages
-----------------------------

As the exact files and their locations contained in a package may
change it is recommended to remove a package first before installing a
new version. In order to facilitate removal each package contains an
pgkinfo/MANIFEST.pkgname file which list all the files belong to the
package. M-x package-admin-delete-binary-package RET can be used to
remove a package using this file.

Note that the interactive package tools included with SXEmacs already do
this for you.

* User Package directories
--------------------------

In addition to the system wide packages, each user can have their own
packages installed under ${HOME}.  The default location is:
${XDG_DATA_HOME}/sxemacs, which is normally ~/.local/share/sxemacs,
and is what SXEmacs will use if ${XDG_DATA_HOME} is not set.

Alternatively, these packages can be installed under ~/.sxemacs if
that is where you have set your `user-init-diretory' to.

If you want to install packages into your ${HOME} using the interactive
tools, you need to set 'package-get-install-to-user-directory' to 't'

* Site lisp/Site start
----------------------

The site-packages hierarchy replaces the old 'site-lisp' directory.
SXEmacs no longer looks into a 'site-lisp' directly by default.
A good place to put 'site-start.el' would be in
$prefix/share/sxemacs/site-packages/lisp/

* Finding the right packages
----------------------------

If you want to find out which package contains the functionality you
are looking for, use M-x package-get-package-provider, and give it a
symbol that is likely to be in that package.  

For example, if some code you want to use has a (require 'thingatpt)
in it:

        M-x package-get-package-provider RET thingatpt RET

which will return something like: (fsf-compat "1.08").