more ideas

PROCESS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Making a tarinstall
+
+## Detailed creation process
+1. A temporary directory is created, from now it will be referred to as `tmp/`
+2. Inside `tmp/` the structure is created (`bin/`, `lib/`, `env`, etc.)
+3. The file `tmp/id` gets written
+4. `tmp/bin/` gets populated with the executables listed in the `deps`
+file
+5. The binaries inside `tmp/bin/` get read and the list of shared libraries gets
+written to `liblist`
+6. The `liblist` file gets read and all the necessary libraries get downloaded
+and/or copied to `tmp/lib/`, then `liblist` gets deleted
+7. The binaries inside `tmp/bin/` get modified so that their `RPATH` value points
+to `tmp/lib`
+8. The `tmp/env` gets generated
+9. The `tmp/man/` and `tmp/ext/` directories get populated with the right files
+10. The checksum for the files inside `tmp` gets calculated and written to 
+`tmp/checksum`
+11. The `tmp` directory gets compressed as a tar archive
+12. The decompressor and loader programs get applied to the tar archive
+13. The archive gets renamed `<id>.ti` and granted executable permission
+
+## The project's root directory structure
+The project's root directory has to contain a subdirectory called `tarinstall`
+which has to contain the following elements:
+- `id` file: contains the id name of the program
+- `type` file: contains the type of project
+- `deps` file: contains a list of the binary files that the program uses
+
+## Types of project
+The `type` file may contain one or more of these option separated by a newline
+in order to determine which binaries/libraries to download or copy from the
+system and in order to generate the right `env` file. 
+This requirement may be removed in favour of automatic recognition.
+
+- C (also the option for C++)
+- python
+- go
+- perl

README.md

@@ -18,9 +18,13 @@ An application packaged as a tarinstall is made as such
 |                      |
 |----- App Tarball ----|
 |                      |
-| app/                 |
+| bin/                 |
 | lib/                 |
+| man/                 |
+| ext/                 |
 | env                  |
+| checksum             |
+| id                   |
 |                      |
 ------------------------
 ```
@@ -29,7 +33,31 @@ Decompressor: It decompresses the archive and then runs the loader
 
 Loader: It reads the `env` file in the tarball and enumerates the `lib/` 
 directory to loads all the necessary libraries and sets the correct environment
-before executing the correct binary in the `app/` directory
+before executing the correct binary in the `bin/` directory.
+
+This may include changing the RPATH section of the binaries inside `bin/`
+
+## Files and folders
+- `lib/`: contains the required shared libraries
+- `bin/`: will substitute `PATH` and contains all the binaries that the
+application requires, such as POSIX utilities, a python interpreter, etc. As well
+as the application's binaries
+- `man/`: contains the manual pages for the biaries in `app`
+- `ext/`: contains all other files, such as example configurations, etc.
+- `env`: lists the cutom environment variables to start the application
+- `checksum`: contains the checksum of the application
+- `id`: contains the application id
+
+## Utilities
+
+### User
+- `tarman`: get manual pages from a tarinstall application
+- `tarext`: extract the files in `ext/`
+- `tarup`: tries to find a newer version of the application using it's `id` and
+`checksum` and updates it using a differential algorithm
+
+### Devs
+- `tarpack`: package a tarinstall application
 
 ## TODO
 - Find a way to include external files
@@ -39,18 +67,6 @@ before executing the correct binary in the `app/` directory
 	- Package manager for shared objects (libraries)
 	- Standardized way to define dependencies
 
-## Experimental optional components in App Tarball
-`ext/` directory: it includes all of the external files that have to be installed
-upon running the application for the first time
-
-`deps` file: lists all the required dependencies and their version to allow for
-an empty `lib/` directory at first start, all the dependencies can be downloaded
-upon running the application for the first time. It can also be used when
-packaging the tarinstall to automatically download the dependencies.
-
-`bin/` directory: it contains all other binary programs that the app may use
-such as POSIX utilies and shell
-
 ## Advantages
 - Allows for application compression
 - Simpler and configyred in plaintext
@@ -72,22 +88,23 @@ the extraction everytime.
 
 ## How it works
 1. On executing the tarinstall the decompressor is executed which:
-	1. Calculates the cheksum of the tar application
+	1. If the checksum matches the one in the destination directory it skips
-	2. It then checks the destination directory for a `checksum` file
+	the extraction
-	3. If the calculated checksum matches the one in the `checksum` file it
+	2. Else it extracts the content of the tar application in the destination
-	skips the extraction
-	4. Else it extracts the content of the tar application in the destination
 	directory
 2. The decompressor then executes the loader inside the destination directory
 which:
 	1. It sets environment according to the `env` file
 	2. It overrides the loader libraries with the contents of `lib/`
-	3. it enters the `app/` directory and executes the binary named 
+	3. it enters the `bin/` directory and executes the binary named 
 	`argv[0]` with all the passed arguments
 
+Upon packaging the tarinstall all the executables in the `bin/` directory are
+modified so that their `RPATH` points to `lib/`.
+
 ## Examples
 
-### Simple example, one binary in `app/`
+### Simple example, one binary in `bin/`
 ```
 /home/anon/.local/bin/
 	foo.ti
@@ -95,10 +112,11 @@ which:
 /bin/
 	foo -> /home/anon/.local/bin/foo.ti
 ```
-executing `foo -h` starts `app/foo -h` inside `foo.ti`
+- executing `foo -h` starts `bin/foo -h` inside `foo.ti`
-
+- trying to execute `foo.ti` directly results in the execution of the only binary
+in `bin/`
 
-###More complex example, multiple biaries inside `app/`
+### More complex example, multiple biaries inside `bin/`
 ```
 /home/anon/.local/bin/
 	foo.ti
@@ -108,6 +126,12 @@ executing `foo -h` starts `app/foo -h` inside `foo.ti`
 	bar -> /home/anon/.local/bin/foo.ti
 	baz -> /home/anon/.local/bin/foo.ti
 ```
-- executing `foo -v` starts `app/foo -v` inside `foo.ti`
+- executing `foo -v` starts `bin/foo -v` inside `foo.ti`
-- executing `bar -h` starts `app/bar -h` inside `foo.ti`
+- executing `bar -h` starts `bin/bar -h` inside `foo.ti`
-- executing `baz -o file` starts `app/baz -o file` inside `foo.ti`
+- executing `baz -o file` starts `bin/baz -o file` inside `foo.ti`
+- executing `foo.ti` directly results in the execution of the binary named `foo`
+inside `bin/`, if it doesn't exist
+
+## Language
+- POSIX shell (tools)
+- C (loader and decompressor)

TODO.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Stuff to make
+- simple checksum calculator
+	- enter directory
+	- checksum of all file
+	- write file inside directory
+- simple RPATH changer
+	- open file
+	- determine type of file, exit if not binary
+	- read RPATH section if present
+	- modify it with custom path
+	- save file