[Slackbuilds-users] REQUIRES="%README%"

[Robby Workman]

On Sun, 2 Mar 2014 00:55:03 -0600
Erik Hanson <erik at slackbuilds.org> wrote:

> On Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:15:52 +1300
> Klaatu <klaatu at straightedgelinux.com> wrote:
> 
> > I don't recall the exact nature of "%README% actually being declared
> > when it got started back in 2012 due to this message:
> > http://lists.slackbuilds.org/pipermail/slackbuilds-users/2012-July/008898.html
> > 
> > In my understanding, it notes that there is additional info
> > required in order to make good use of the build. Could be anything
> > - optional dependencies, alternative dependencies, special setup
> > notes, special VARIABLES that might be added before the build
> > command...whatever.
> > 
> > I think the idea that a README file ought to be read was brought up
> > in that thread already, as well, but the REQUIRES line was still
> > added to .info, so I feel that using %README% as a more generic
> > flag makes sense.
> > 
> > In other words, it's sort of a boolean, in my view:  either this
> > build is safe for blissful, blind parsing of REQUIRES, and
> > automatically building - or else it is not.
> 
> It being viewed as a boolean, as you described above, was the original
> intention. %README% should be listed alone, not mixed in with deps.
> That was a decision made specifically to stop automated scripts. I
> realize it's not always used this way, and that's unfortunate.
 

This isn't exactly how I had it interpreted.  I was under the impression
that we intended it to be boolean, and I was under the impression that
the intent was to stop automated scripts/tools in such cases where they
would be known to fail if information in README were not followed.
So far, I think we're in agreement.

However, if indeed use of %README% is mutually exclusive with use of
deps listed in REQUIRES, then we may as well stop using %README%, as
we don't actually accomplish what we intended it to do.  Although I
don't have any examples at hand, I'm fairly certain that there are
things which require deps *and* have custom user/group needs which
are detailed in README, and so it would be known to fail if README 
is not followed.  For those, it seems that we would want to put both
the deps *and* %README% in REQUIRES.

-RW 
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