[Zope-dev] Re: ploneenv - Or how using workingenv for a common Zope2 project might look like ;-)

[Martin Aspeli]

Ian Bicking wrote:

> One of the things that I think is pretty easy with workingenv, and a bit 
> confusing with buildout, is moving one package into development.  In 
> workingenv you get the package you want (however you do that -- check 
> out a branch, make your own local repository, unpack a tarball, etc), 
> and you run (after activating the environment) "python setup.py 
> develop".  Or if the package isn't using setuptools, "python -c 'import 
> setuptools; execfile("setup.py")' develop".  Note that this is actually 
> one of the few places you actually have to activate the environment. 
> And heck, if I just compiled a little something into bin/python then 
> even that wouldn't be necessary.  (Maybe even a hard link would be 
> enough, I'm not sure.)
> 
> In buildout it's a bit more complicated.  You can move an egg into 
> develop-eggs, but that relies on buildout finding the right package. 
> That's not really that easy, especially because setuptools only really 
> understands packages being newer or older, it doesn't understand things 
> like branches.  It's hard even when you don't have this problem.

I think all you need to do is something like this:

  $ svn co http://myrepo/myproduct/trunk src/myproduct

Edit buildout.cfg and add:

  develop-eggs = src/myproduct

(or add it to the list of develop-eggs)

  $ bin/buildout -o

(-o to save time only). As far as I understand, buildout explicitly 
prefers develop eggs over ones it has found otherwise. So, in other 
words, you check out the package you're working on (by convention into 
src/) and then point to the source location in builduot.cfg's 
develop-eggs option.

I don't find that confusing, personally - or did I miss something?

> If you use the easy_install script in the workingenv bin/, then you 
> don't have to activate the environment.  Very similar to buildout, 
> workingenv scripts contain their path/environment.

Right, thanks for pointing that out.

> Workingenv does, as far as I know, work with Windows.  At least I've 
> received several patches (I've never used it myself).

Lucky you. :) Having Parallels on OS X is a mixed blessing. :)

Martin