[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #58487] pkg update should be able to update external packages

[Mike Miller]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?58487>

                 Summary: pkg update should be able to update external
packages
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: mtmiller
            Submitted on: Tue 02 Jun 2020 02:39:54 PM PDT
                Category: Octave Function
                Severity: 1 - Wish
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Feature Request
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: 
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
                 Release: dev
         Discussion Lock: Any
        Operating System: GNU/Linux

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Details:

The 'pkg update' command should be able to update packages that are installed
that are _not_ part of the Octave Forge family of packages.

An example of the current problem that I want to solve:


>> pkg update
warning: pkg: package goodies not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
warning: pkg: package jsonstuff not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
warning: pkg: package packajoozle not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
warning: pkg: package pythonic not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
warning: pkg: package tablicious not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
warning: pkg: package testify not found on Octave Forge - skipping update
>> 


This can be solved by allowing packages to declare a URL where the most recent
version or a list of recent versions can be scraped and downloaded.

1. Choose and standardize on a field that can be added to the DESCRIPTION
file

2. Add a new subfunction to pkg.m to be able to scrape an arbitrary URL for
tar.gz file names

3. Sort the scraped files by the version embedded in the file name

4. Download and install the highest version number

The intent is to help make Octave package development, maintenance, and
distribution to be decoupled from SourceForge and the Octave Forge project
infrastructure in particular.




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