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

[Mathias Gibbens]

On Tue, 2022-09-06 at 01:00 +0530, Pirate Praveen wrote:
> 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
> maybe a good idea, though it is a high volume list with lot of auto 
> generated noise.

  Yes, there's a lot of automated notices. I have subscribed and setup
a few new filtering rules to hopefully hide away the non-interesting
messages.

> 
> >   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.

  I have been granted access to the salsa group, and moved the repos
mentioned below that were previously under my account into the group's
namespace.

  I'll send package-specific RFS emails to the list shortly.

> 
> >   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

  Yes, especially for tiny modules it's a fair bit of busy work to
package everything individually. I personally prefer to do the work
once and then not have to worry about potentially unbundling the
modules down the road, but there's definitely more upfront work
required to do so. 

> 
> >     * 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.

  OK, thanks for that explanation.

> 
> >   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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