Juris-M / zotero-build

Zotero build scripts

Juris-M build scripts

A repository of scripts, nearly identical to its Zotero fork-parent, used to prep the Juris-M code module for integration into the standalone client.

(Before working with these scripts, be sure to visit the core Juris-M repository and perform the steps for building the core module that are described there.)

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Notes from the Zotero repository

2xize: Add 2x image rules to CSS files

update-citeproc.sh: Update citeproc.js from Frank Bennett's Bitbucket source

xpi: Build distributable Firefox XPIs from the Zotero core.

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About this repository

Zotero was orginally developed as a plugin that could be installed in a standard release of the Firefox browser. Due to architectural changes in Firefox, it can no longer be installed in that fashion, and in Juris-M development, at least, the scripts in this repository designed for building and signing the plugin (an *.xpi file) are no longer used.

However, one script, ./xpi/build_xpi, serves several important roles in building the standalone client.

• It resolves soft links set in the ../jurism/build directory when the core jurism module is initially assembled there.
• It manages the version stamp used to identify specific builds of the module code.

The steps for configuring and using the script are outlined here.

Cloning the repository

Enter the directory where your Juris-M development repositories are located, and clone this into it, using commands like the following:

  prompt> cd jurism-repos
  prompt> git clone --recursive https://github.com/Juris-M/zotero-build.git

If you forget to include the --recursive option when cloning, pull in the submodules by entering the repository directory and issuing commands like the following:

  prompt> cd zotero-build
  prompt> git submodule init
  prompt> git submodule update --remote

Configuration

For Juris-M work, at least at present, no configuration is necessary. The config.sh-sample files would be used as templates to set environment variables used by the update-citeproc.sh script (in the top-level directory) and the move_build_rdf and push_dev_xpi scripts (in the ./xpi directory). These are not currently used in Juris-M work (by me, anyway).

The behavior of the build_xpi script is controlled by command-line options.

Building

While this repository of scripts manipulates only the core Juris-M module code, the version stamp that it applies to the source becomes the version shown in the built client. Builds, and versions, come in three flavors: source, beta, and release. The steps for generating each are described below.

Source builds

Source builds are mainly meant for private use when debugging or extending the module. They are identified by a hash appended to the version string, which (if things were done properly) matches the commit in the core Juris-M code repository against which it has been built. For example:

  5.0.34.m1.SOURCE.552662a42

Generate a source build by providing two options to build_xpi:

  prompt> ./xpi/build_xpi --source-dir ../jurism/build --commit-hash 552662a42556e7b9c3ad690a9be3a6365730205f 

Reviewing the options:

--source-dir is the path to the built source in the core Juris-M code repository. The build_xpi script does not generate this source, so the build directory must exist, and its content must be up to date.

--commit-hash is the commit ID in the core Juris-M code repository that is reflected in the --source-dir build directory. The build_xpi script does not check out this commit in the repository, the value supplied in the argument is informational only.

Beta builds

Beta builds are used to share code before a final release. This designation is not much used Juris-M development, although each Juris-M release is in effect a beta, since intensive pre-release testing is not practical, given our modest user numbers. When explicitly declared, a beta is identified as such in its version string, with a serial number. For example:

  5.0.34.m1-beta.1+552662a42

Generate a beta build by providing three options to build_xpi:

  prompt> ./xpi/build_xpi --source-dir ../jurism/build --channel beta --commit-hash 552662a42556e7b9c3ad690a9be3a6365730205f 

Reviewing the options:

--channel is the name of a numbered stream of pre-release builds. By convention these carry the label beta, but the label can be anything. The number of a build within a labeled series is incremented by 1 each by a new build is performed. The numbering is controlled by files add under ./xpi/build each time the build_xpi script is run with the --channel option.

--source-dir is the path to the built source in the core Juris-M code repository. The build_xpi script does not generate this source, so the build directory must exist, and its content must be up to date.

--commit-hash is the commit ID in the core Juris-M code repository that is reflected in the --source-dir build directory. The build_xpi script does not check out this commit in the repository, the value supplied in the argument is informational only.

Release builds

A release build is the last to carry its version number, which must be incremented for the next beta or final release. Juris-M hedges its bets by appending a suffix to the Zotero release on which it is based, so that further "final" releases can be made in the event issues arise that are specific to Juris-M. The version number of a final release is written without trailing cruft. For example:

  5.0.34.m1

Generate a release build by providing two options to build_xpi:

  prompt> ./xpi/build_xpi --source-dir ../jurism/build --channel release

Reviewing the options:

--channel must be set to release in this instance. Other values will throw an error.

--source-dir is the path to the built source in the core Juris-M code repository. The build_xpi script does not generate this source, so the build directory must exist, and its content must be up to date.

Building the standalone client

Running build_xpi in any of the three modes documented above will generate a stream of chatter in the console, ending with a line like this:

  Build files saved to /path/to/zotero-build/xpi/build/staging

The staging directory does not actually contain an XPI file, but it does contain a complete set of code that can be run in an appropriate Firefox environment. Make a note of the path value; you will need it to build the actual standalone client. See the README in the zotero-standalone-build repository for details on that process.