Re: [Monotone-devel] [PATCH] change monotone-dumb to use automate stdio

[Nathaniel Smith]

On Thu, Oct 20, 2005 at 07:30:00PM +0200, Zbynek Winkler wrote:
> Zbynek Winkler wrote:
> 
> >I've updated monotone.py from net.venge.monotone.dumb branch to use 
> >'automate stdio' for all automate commands. It avoids respawning the 
> >monotone process for each command. However, for it to be of a real 
> >use, more automate commands are needed (especially packet handling).
> 
> Is someone working with/on the packet handling commands?

I don't think so.

> Would someone object if I tried to move the packet handling to automate?

I wouldn't! :-)

> There already is command 'automate certs' that outputs basic_io certs. 
> How should we call the 'automate' command that outputs the packets?

Hrm.  Maybe put "packet" in the names?
  automate fdelta_packet
  automate cert_packets_for_revision
  automate read_packets
etc.?

> There was also a discussion about giving certs a public id. Could 
> someone more knowledgeable give me a list of steps required to do this?

I haven't thought it through carefully, but here are some steps:
  -- we already store a cert hash in the database, the 'hash' column in
     the 'revision_certs' table.  it even has an index on it already,
     so it's suitable for doing lookup.  our goal is to expose this.
  -- first, we need a type to refer to these things as, like
     revision_id and manifest_id.  See vocab_terms.hh and the typedefs
     in vocab.hh.  I'd suggest adding a DECORATE(cert), except 'cert'
     is already the name of the type... I guess it doesn't matter
     much, since one will use the cert_id typedef to refer to it
     anyway.
  -- make cert.{hh,cc} use this type instead of hexenc<id> when
     referring to cert hashes.  (Note that 'ident' in these files
     usually means the ident of the revision that a cert refers to,
     not an identifier for the cert itself.)
  -- add methods to database.{hh,cc} to let you retrieve certs by this
     id.
  -- add UI stuff to display and manipulate certs by id.  E.g., put
     cert ids in the output of things like 'automate certs', and add
     whatever commands seem useful that take cert ids as arguments.

Does this sound like a plausible plan to people?

-- Nathaniel

-- 
Eternity is very long, especially towards the end.
  -- Woody Allen