config.package for projects without a package in nixpkgs?

[linusammon]

CONTRIBUTING.md distinguishes modules that define config.packages and those that don't. But what about a module written for a package that isn't in nixpkgs? Would config.packages just be set to null? Or would such a module be rejected until there is a nixpkgs package?

[BirdeeHub]

Or would such a module be rejected until there is a nixpkgs package?

Probably this. The problem being, flake inputs arent properly lazy, so if we add a bunch people will have to pull them for things they are not related to, and if we are going to put the drv inline with a pkgs.fetchGit we don't have the infrastructure here to keep that up to date.

So, one would put the drv with the pkgs.fetchGit in nixpkgs where they have all the auto update tooling, and then submit the wrapper module here.

Maybe one day we can think about having some kind of npins or nvfetcher system for something like that, but I still am inclined to think at that point, we should be looking to submit the package to nixpkgs where people can use it more generally.

That being said, anybody is free to package a wrapper module with their application (or someone else's) in a flake. It is even possible to do this without taking nix-wrapper-modules itself as an input, just export the module and tell them to call it with their wlib.evalPackage or something. But to submit them here, I feel it is a reasonable filter to require that it be packaged for nix already and submitted to nixpkgs.

[linusammon]

That being said, anybody is free to package a wrapper module with their application (or someone else's) in a flake.

Didn't know that was even a possibility, it'll do for my use case for the time being, thanks!

[BirdeeHub]

Yeah it is just like exporting a home manager or nixos or flake-parts module for something

Actually, we export a flake-parts module without taking flake-parts as a flake input

https://github.com/BirdeeHub/nix-wrapper-modules/blob/main/parts.nix

^ It would be like that, but, with a wrapper module, that would be how one goes about exporting a wrapper module WITHOUT taking nix-wrapper-modules as an input to do so.

Of course, if you were willing to take it as a flake input, then you could use the flake-parts module to export it from your flake, or use the stuff from wlib outside of the module itself, but, you don't even need to to export one, just to use it!