ENH,REQ: dnf install --json

[westurner]

ENH,REQ,STORY: Users can show the (space-indented (by default) or JSON) recursive list of packages that will be installed with a CLI option to dnf install like --pkgtrees or --deplist and also --json

# TC1: In order to install vim-enhanced in a ~devcontainer,
#      install all of these packages *without installing X (libX*)* and tracker-miners, etc:

# setUp() {
#   # echo "FROM fedora-toolbox:41" >> Dockerfile
#
#   dnf install -y toolbox
#   toolbox create -i fedora-toolbox:41 -n dnftest && toolbox enter dnftest
# 
#   dnf install -y distrobox
#   distrobox create -i fedora-toolbox:41 -n dnftest && distrobox enter dnftest 
# }

pkgs="vim-enhanced powerline-fonts fzf python3-virtualenv ruff black python3-pyflakes python3-flake8 python3-lsp-server python3-jupyter-lsp"
sudo dnf install $pkgs
# ...
# Transaction Summary:
# Installing:      343 packages
# Upgrading:         2 packages
# Replacing:         2 packages


## To determine which pkgspec passed to dnf install is resulting in X being installed:
for pkg in $pkgs; do (set -x; dnf install --assumeno "${pkg}"); done
#  Downsides:
#  - $pkgs is not correctly quoted; it probably should be `IFS=" " read args; for arg in "${args[@]}"`
#  - This simulates installing each package independently, not all at once
#  - This has to open and close the database for each command invocation


dnf repoquery --help | grep queryformat


## To *approximate* dnf install with repoquery --qf="depends, requires, suggests, supplements"
for pkg in $pkgs; do (set -x; dnf repoquery --queryformat='## Depends\n%{depends}## Requires\n%{requires}## Suggests\n%{suggests}## Supplements\n%{supplements}\n' "${pkg}"); done
#  Downsides:
#  - this isn't JSON, you must parse the pkgspecs, are they?
#  - this doesn't optionally list the 'suggests' and 'supplements' only if those flags were passed


# Ideally, there would be simple cli opt like --tree or --deplist
# that shows the (space-indented or json) recursive list of packages that will be installed;
# something like:

dnf install --show-recursive-dependency-list-first [ --json [-o <dnf.log.json>]] 

dfn install --deplist --json [-o <dnf.log.json>]] 

dnf install --deplist
dnf install --json     # could imply --deplist  # or whatever the opt should be called

[westurner]

Here's how to read the trasaction json files with the dnf history command in dnf4:

• ENH: List logged dnf transaction cmds as txt or json dnf#2149
• https://github.com/rpm-software-management/dnf/pull/2149/files

[m-blaha]

Do I understand correctly that the new switch is intended to print the transaction table in a machine-readable format? One challenge with the install command is that it’s somewhat interactive, requiring user confirmation for the transaction that will be executed. This proposal could work if paired with the --assumeno option, but it may feel awkward if the user has to confirm a transaction presented in JSON format.

Also, keep in mind that a transaction initiated by package installation might include not only dependency installations but also upgrades or downgrades of dependent packages, and potentially even removal of conflicting packages (if the --allowerasing option is used).

You can also create your own simple script tailored for your use-case using dnf5 API. For example:

#!/usr/bin/python3

import libdnf5

# Initialize 
base = libdnf5.base.Base()
base.load_config()
base.setup()

repo_sack = base.get_repo_sack()
repo_sack.create_repos_from_system_configuration()
repo_sack.load_repos()

# Create a goal, which is a class that allows to add items for resolving into
# a transaction.
goal = libdnf5.base.Goal(base)

# Add package specs for installation into the goal.
for pkgspec in ["vim-enhanced", "powerline-fonts", "fzf", "python3-virtualenv", "ruff"]:
    goal.add_rpm_install(pkgspec)

# Resolve the goal, create a transaction object.
transaction = goal.resolve()

# Now you can iterate the resolved transaction and print it in desired format
print("Resolved transaction:")
for tspkg in transaction.get_transaction_packages():
    print(tspkg.get_package().get_nevra(), ": ",
          libdnf5.base.transaction.transaction_item_action_to_string(tspkg.get_action()))

[westurner]

The --json flag would write machine-readable JSON I wrote that patch to write (the shell command field of) all transactions without truncation, and then as JSON; and then I was trying to determine which package dependency was causing Xorg and hundreds of additional packages to installed. If dnf install could display the complete dependency graph, as machine-readable JSON, users could parse the JSON to understand why each package is being installed, upgraded, or removed Thanks for the dnf5 API usage example; is that already in the docs? Presumably installing packages with the Python API does not (yet?) add a transaction with an equivalent shell command for dnf history?

…

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Marek Blaha ***@***.***> Date: Thu, Oct 31, 2024, 3:10 AM Subject: Re: [rpm-software-management/dnf5] ENH,REQ: dnf install --json (Issue #1799) To: rpm-software-management/dnf5 ***@***.***> Cc: Wes Turner ***@***.***>, Author ***@***.***> Do I understand correctly that the new switch is intended to print the transaction table in a machine-readable format? One challenge with the install command is that it’s somewhat interactive, requiring user confirmation for the transaction that will be executed. This proposal could work if paired with the --assumeno option, but it may feel awkward if the user has to confirm a transaction presented in JSON format. Also, keep in mind that a transaction initiated by package installation might include not only dependency installations but also upgrades or downgrades of dependent packages, and potentially even removal of conflicting packages (if the --allowerasing option is used). You can also create your own simple script tailored for your use-case using dnf5 API. For example: #!/usr/bin/python3 import libdnf5 # Initialize base = libdnf5.base.Base() base.load_config() base.setup() repo_sack = base.get_repo_sack() repo_sack.create_repos_from_system_configuration() repo_sack.load_repos() # Create a goal, which is a class that allows to add items for resolving into # a transaction. goal = libdnf5.base.Goal(base) # Add package specs for installation into the goal. for pkgspec in ["vim-enhanced", "powerline-fonts", "fzf", "python3-virtualenv", "ruff"]: goal.add_rpm_install(pkgspec) # Resolve the goal, create a transaction object. transaction = goal.resolve() # Now you can iterate the resolved transaction and print it in desired format print("Resolved transaction:") for tspkg in transaction.get_transaction_packages(): print(tspkg.get_package().get_nevra(), ": ", libdnf5.base.transaction.transaction_item_action_to_string(tspkg.get_action())) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1799 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAAMNS6ABU2WTMEU7JIQFQ3Z6HJX3AVCNFSM6AAAAABQTZTNDOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDINBZGE3TIOJQGQ> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[jan-kolarik]

Related: #867.