[Pkg-javascript-devel] Joining the team / guidance on packaging nodejs libraries

[Pirate Praveen]

On Mon, Sep 5 2022 at 05:36:30 PM +00:00:00 +00:00:00, Mathias Gibbens 
<mathias at calenhad.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
>   (Please CC me, as I'm not subscribed to this list.)
> 

If you are planning to stick around in the team, joining the list may 
be a good idea, though it is a high volume list with lot of auto 
generated noise.

>   I would like to join the JS Team so that JavaScript-related packages
> I'm planning to work on can be team-maintained. I've reviewed the
> policy pages linked to from [1] and submitted a join request on salsa.
> At the moment I'm a DM, although I am currently working through the
> application process to become a DD.
> 

May be after reviewing your work someone in the team can accept your 
request.

>   My motivation is getting commentoplusplus packaged for Debian (ITP
> #951557), which has some unpackaged nodejs dependencies.
> 
>   Over the weekend I started working on packaging the missing nodejs
> dependencies using the `npm2deb` tool, and I would like to request
> feedback/guidance on the work I've completed thus far. I don't have 
> any
> nodejs development experience, so I want to make sure I'm not doing
> anything incorrect in creating these packages.
> 
>   I have the work for three nodejs packages under my user account on
> salsa (will move over to the team's namespace after accepted into the
> team) that I have tested and seem to work locally:
> 
>     * node-gulp-sass (https://salsa.debian.org/gibmat/node-gulp-sass)
>       - Depends on node-gulp-postcss and node-gulp-tap which are not
> currently packaged for Debian
> 

For simple modules like this embedding it in another related package 
may be better as ftp masters would like lesser number of node packages.

See https://wiki.debian.org/Javascript/GroupSourcesTutorial

>     * node-gulp-postcss 
> (https://salsa.debian.org/gibmat/node-gulp-postcss)
>       - The package.json lists a required version of postcss-load-
> config >= 3.0.0, but Debian only has 2.1.2. However, it seems to work
> with the version in Debian (tests pass and I've been able to use the
> resulting package to build commentoplusplus).
> 
>     * node-gulp-tap (https://salsa.debian.org/gibmat/node-gulp-tap)
> 
>   I did have a question about the preferred form for d/watch files. 
> The
> nodejs page [2] says to prefer checking the packages on npmjs.org, but
> the `npm2deb` tool crafts a watchfile that looks at github -- except
> for node-gulp-tap. But there is a comment in that file: "It is not
> recommended use npmregistry". So, I guess I'm not sure what the
> preferred source to check for updates is? :)
> 

We prefer github tarballs, but many times the repo may not be having 
tags or tags matching the version in npmjs.org You can request upstream 
to create necessary tags so we can use github tarballs as source. npm 
registry tarballs may contain generated files so we have to take extra 
steps to remove them, it may be missing required build or test files 
too.

>   Please send any comments/feedback my way, and I will incorporate it
> into my packaging work.
> 
>   And while I haven't yet filed the ITPs, I'm planning to also package
> node-gulp-clean-css, node-gulp-jsonminify and chartist.
> 
> Thanks!
> Mathias
> 
> [1] -- https://wiki.debian.org/Javascript
> [2] -- https://wiki.debian.org/Javascript/Nodejs
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