rvpm dist¶

rvpm dist builds the application in the current directory and packages it into distributable artifacts. A Raven binary is a single static file, so packaging is one staged file tree plus each format's own metadata, which rvpm generates from the manifest.

Usage¶

rvpm dist [--target <t1,t2>] [--out-dir <dir>]

Targets: tar, zip, deb, rpm, msi, inno. --target overrides the manifest's [dist].targets; without either, the host default applies (zip on Windows, tar elsewhere). Libraries have no binary and are rejected.

Artifacts land in [dist].out_dir (default target/dist), with a work/ scratch directory beside them holding the staging trees and generated packaging files, which is useful when debugging a format.

The [dist] manifest section¶

Every field is optional; an absent section behaves like an empty one.

[dist]
targets = ["deb", "zip"]           # what plain `rvpm dist` produces
out_dir = "target/dist"
display_name = "Rook"              # installer titles; default: package name
description = "A coding agent"     # default: "<name> <version>"
license = "MIT"                    # rpm License, installers
homepage = "https://example.com"   # deb Homepage, rpm URL, installers
maintainer = "Ada <ada@x.com>"     # deb Maintainer; default: first author
vendor = "Acme"                    # rpm Vendor, msi Manufacturer; default: maintainer

[[dist.assets]]                    # extra files installed with the binary
source = "README.md"               # read relative to the package root
dest = "share/doc/rook/README.md"  # forward-slash path under the install prefix

[[dist.assets]]
source = "assets"                  # directories are copied recursively
dest = "assets"                    # their structure is kept beneath dest

[dist.linux]
depends = ["libc6 (>= 2.31)"]      # deb Depends and rpm Requires, verbatim
section = "utils"                  # deb
priority = "optional"              # deb

[dist.windows]
icon = "assets/rook.ico"           # embedded executable and Inno Setup icon
upgrade_code = "9f0c86a1-2b3c-4d5e-8f90-112233445566"  # msi upgrade GUID
add_to_path = true                 # msi appends the install dir to system PATH

Asset source and dest must be relative forward-slash paths with no .. components; the same containment rule [ffi].sources follows. The install prefix per format: /usr/ for deb and rpm (the binary goes to /usr/bin/<name>), the archive root for tar and zip, and the application folder for msi and inno. When source is a directory, rvpm copies its entire tree beneath dest, preserving nested and empty directories.

The package version and every free-form metadata value reject control characters before any packaging file is generated. This prevents a manifest value from injecting extra Debian control fields, RPM directives, or installer script lines.

Formats and their tools¶

rvpm generates each format's packaging text and shells out to the format's own tool, the same approach dependency fetching takes with curl and tar. A missing tool fails with an install hint.

Target	Tool	Artifact
`tar`	tar	`<name>-<version>-<arch>.tar.gz`, top-level `<name>-<version>-<arch>/` directory
`zip`	bsdtar or zip	`<name>-<version>-<arch>.zip`, flat
`deb`	dpkg-deb	`<name>_<version>_<deb-arch>.deb`
`rpm`	rpmbuild	rpmbuild's own `<name>-<version>-1.<arch>.rpm` naming
`msi`	WiX 3 (candle, light)	`<name>-<version>-<arch>.msi`
`inno`	Inno Setup ISCC	`<name>-<version>-setup.exe`

Version strings are normalized per format: a leading v is dropped everywhere, rpm turns a - pre-release separator into ~, and the msi ProductVersion keeps only the numeric X.Y.Z prefix.

The msi upgrade GUID is what lets a newer installer replace an older install. When [dist.windows].upgrade_code is not set, rvpm derives a stable GUID from the package name and prints it with a note; pin it in the manifest so it never changes by accident.

[dist.windows].add_to_path = true makes the msi append the install directory to the system PATH, so a command-line tool is callable from a terminal after installing (the other installers still leave PATH alone). The uninstaller removes the entry.

On Windows, [dist.windows].icon is compiled into the executable produced by rvpm build, so Explorer and the taskbar can display the application icon. The same .ico is also used as the Inno Setup installer icon. MSVC builds use the Windows SDK resource compiler (rc.exe); GNU builds use MinGW-w64 windres.

What is out of scope¶

Packages are not signed (deb signing, rpm signing, Authenticode are all post-processing on the produced artifacts). Cross-format scripting hooks (postinst and friends) and desktop shortcuts are not modeled yet. Only the msi modifies PATH, and only when [dist.windows].add_to_path is set; the deb and rpm install to /usr/bin (already on PATH) and the archives are unpacked wherever the user chooses.