`pkgx --provides`

[felipecrs]

It would be great if pkgx allowed to query pkgs for their provides, for example:

$ pkgx --provides +git@2.34 --json=v1
{
  "provides": [
    {
      "project": "git-scm.org",
      "provides: ["bin/git"]
    }
  ]
}

Note it should not install git@2.34, which happens without --provides. Also, the output should not contain the provides of the dependencies.

This would allow to drop the dependency on libpkgx in pkgm but would also allow me to write my own pkgm for shims using just bash.

What do you think?

[mxcl]

I want to make pkgq for this.

[felipecrs]

Maybe that's overkill. 😅

It'd be a bummer having to download another binary just for this.

[mxcl]

Changed my mind, pkgx -q git would return an exit code, where pkgx -qv git would return git-scm.org or the path if installed and pkgx -qj git would return json.

[jhheider]

might suggest --query|-Q so it looks modal instead of operational. but it's a good idea.

[felipecrs]

Yeah. -q is already --quiet.

[felipecrs]

@mxcl, this allows for resolving a binary into a project name, which is great.

But it doesn't allow resolving a project name into binaries/provides, which still don't enable the use case I had in mind.

What do you think? Or maybe I'm missing something?

[mxcl]

Can you explain your usage? Your example was for pkgx -Q git not pkgx -Q git-scm.org

Edit: I see the need for “can you run this?” but deeper queries belong on the pkgq tool IMO. But interested in your usage needs in case I am missing something.

[felipecrs]

My example was (adjusting --provides to --query):

$ pkgx --query +git@2.34 --json=v1
{
  "provides": [
    {
      "project": "git-scm.org",
      "provides: ["bin/git"]
    }
  ]
}

Where git@2.34 would be whatever user has requested.

In this case, I was alluding the fact pkgx understands and resolves both +git@2.34 and +git-scm.org@2.34.

I would then rely on pkgx --query to resolve whatever user requested into both the actual project name and a list of provides of such project.