bug#62734: Always fully rebuild autoloads in package-generate-autoloads

[Philip Kaludercic]

Leo Georg Gaskin <leo.gaskin@le0.gs> writes:

> Tags: patch
>
> Hello!
>
> I've been using the new package-vc.el functionality to great effect,
> but I have also come across a somewhat annoying bug.  If I use any of
> the provided commands to rebuild my local package while a autoloads
> file is already present, the newly generated autoloads file is
> consistently either incomplete or empty.

Can you reproduce this using emacs -Q?

> The easiest way I've found to fix this is simply changing the
> `package-generate-autoloads' function to always rebuild the autoloads
> file by passing the relevant option to `loaddefs-generate'.  I think
> this change also makes sense on a larger scale, as package generation
> taking into account older build artifacts seems unintuitive.

I guess this could work, but it might also be an inconvenience for
people with a lot of packages?  It seems to me that trying to better
understand the issue before proceeding to apply this quick fix would be
a better idea.  What do you think?

> The attached patch implements this change.
>
> I've read that for small changes like this no copyright assignment
> is needed.  If I have misunderstood, please point me to the relevant
> documents so I can sign them.  Please also let me know if I have
> messed something up or you need any additional information.

That should be the case.

>
> Best wishes
>
> Leo Gaskin
>
>
> In GNU Emacs 30.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, cairo
> version 1.16.0, Xaw3d scroll bars)
> Repository revision: 9848ae17161828190cc0ba31e89ae54a2f08a2ef
> Repository branch: master
> Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.12101008
> System Description: NixOS 23.05 (Stoat)
>
> Configured using:
>  'configure
>  --prefix=/nix/store/y9bxk3kqk4isr28jcy1bclkdr5a4zd1v-emacs-git-20230407.0
>  --disable-build-details --with-modules --with-x-toolkit=lucid
>  --with-xft --with-cairo --with-native-compilation'
>
>>From dad173580c048cbe89d5287c4475e965c71a702e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> From: Leo Gaskin <leo.gaskin@le0.gs>
> Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2023 23:13:59 +0200
> Subject: [PATCH] Always fully rebuild autoloads in package-generate-autoloads
>
> ---
>  lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el | 3 ++-
>  1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
> index 685f983..09811f1 100644
> --- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
> +++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el
> @@ -1093,7 +1093,8 @@ untar into a directory named DIR; otherwise, signal an 
> error."
>          ;; the load path.  We don't hard-code `pkg-dir', to avoid
>          ;; issues if the package directory is moved around.
>          (or (and load-file-name (file-name-directory load-file-name))
> -            (car load-path)))))
> +            (car load-path))))
> +     nil t)
>      (let ((buf (find-buffer-visiting output-file)))
>        (when buf (kill-buffer buf)))
>      auto-name))