Packaging

THIS PAGE IS INCOMPLETE AND/OR OUTDATED

Note to Users

This documentation is meant for distribution packagers. If you encounter a packaging bug with GSConnect, you should file a downstream bug report with the distribution or package maintainer.

GSConnect uses a complete meson build that can produce a user Zip or system package.

PackageKit

As of v13 GSConnect includes support for installing dependencies with PackageKit. service/ui/software.js contains a PackageGroup dictionary containing the possible package names for each distribution to meet a feature's dependencies. This makes it easy for your users to install dependencies, even when they get GSConnect from extensions.gnome.org.

You may submit a Pull Request to add package names for your distribution and there are tables in the Installation page that you can add them to. Please don't add package names that are not required for a feature to function even if they seem closely related.

Dependencies

The only true dependency of GSConnect is gnome-shell >= 3.28, so packagers can decide what they consider required or optional dependencies. Each feature below lists the precise shared objects (.so), typelibs (.typelib) or binaries required, and briefly describes what plugin or functionality requires it.

• Contacts Integration (libfolks)

  REQUIRES: libgobject-2.0.so.0, libfolks-eds.so.25, Folks-0.6.typelib

  GSConnect supports integrating desktop contacts using libfolks, which aggregates contacts from Gnome Online Accounts, Evolution and more.

  If libfolks is not supported an address book cached from received data will be used.

• Files Integration (nautilus-python)

  REQUIRES: Nautilus-3.0.typelib, libnautilus-python.so

  GSConnect includes a Nautilus extension written using the Python bindings allowing files to be sent from the context menu of selected items.

  See the meson notes for --nautilus below for more information.

• Sound Effects (libcanberra)

  REQUIRES: canberra-gtk-play

  GSConnect plays sounds from the sound-theme-spec and most Gnome Shell users will have libcanberra and canberra-gtk-play installed as a dependency of the desktop. GSConnect can also use the GSound API if available, but this is optional.

  The Find My Phone plugin loops a sound effect when receiving a location request.

• Remote Filesystem (libfuse-sshfs)

  REQUIRES: sshfs

  Due to limitations with Android remote file systems can not be mounted using GVfs, Nautilus or any other higher level interface (See Issue #84). The sshfs binary is used by KDE Connect and GSConnect in nearly identical ways.

  The SFTP plugin uses sshfs to access remote filesystems (currently Android only).

Notes on meson Options

If you need additional build options to package GSConnect for your distribution, consider opening a New Issue describing your requirements before maintaining a downstream patch. If the required changes don't break compatibility for another packager, they will probably be approved.

• --libdir LIBDIR

  By default GSConnect uses this to look for the PulseAudio bindings shipped with gnome-shell (Gvc-1.0.typelib) that are usually in PREFIX/LIBDIR/gnome-shell/.

  When installed as a user extension LIBDIR is inferred from gjs's GIRepository search path. When building as a system package the system default is used (see meson --help) if not given. If PREFIX/LIBDIR/gnome-shell/Gvc-1.0.typelib is not found at runtime GSConnect will fallback to inferring LIBDIR from gjs.

• --gnome_shell_libdir PATH

  Default is PREFIX/LIBDIR, where LIBDIR is as defined by --libdir. If provided it will override LIBDIR when searching for Gvc-1.0.typelib so that the result is:

  GNOME_SHELL_LIBDIR/gnome-shell/Gvc-1.0.typelib

• --session_bus_services_dir PATH

  GSConnect uses DBus Activation so that the Shell extension can start the service at login and restart it if updated.

  When installed as a user extension the service file is installed to XDG_DATA_HOME/dbus-1/services/ by the Shell extension when it is loaded (not enabled/disabled). When building as a system package the default is to check pkg-config, then fallback back to PREFIX/DATADIR/dbus-1/services.

• --nautilus boolean

  Default is true. If false the file nautilus-gsconnect.py will not be installed.

  When installed as a user extension the Nautilus extension will be installed in XDG_DATA_HOME/nautilus-python/extensions/ by the Shell extension when it is loaded (not enabled/disabled). When building as a system package it will be installed to PREFIX/DATADIR/nautilus-python/extensions/.

  Although there is currently no build target for producing a separate package for the Nautilus extension, if that's appropriate for your distribution you are welcome to do so. The Nautilus extension only requires access to the Session DBus and translations.

• --webextension boolean

  Default is true. If false the WebExtension manifests will not be installed, making it impossible for the Native Messaging Host to be started by the Chrome Extension or Firefox Add-On. Although there is currently no build target for producing a separate package for the manifests it is possible, although the WebExtension itself will always be distributed from the browser's extension or add-on website.

  When installed as a user extension the manifests are installed by the Shell extension when it is loaded (not enabled/disabled) in the following locations:

  XDG_CONFIG_HOME/google-chrome{,-beta,-unstable}/NativeMessagingHosts/
  XDG_CONFIG_HOME/chromium/NativeMessagingHosts/
  HOME/.mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/

  When building as a system package:

  SYSCONFDIR/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/
  SYSCONFDIR/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/
  PREFIX/LIBDIR/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/

• --chrome_nmhdir PATH

• --chromium_nmhdir PATH

• --mozilla_nmhdir PATH

  When building as a system package, these three options override the install path for the native messaging hosts so that the destination is:

  CHROME_NMHDIR/opt/chrome/native-messaging-hosts/
  CHROMIUM_NMHDIR/chromium/native-messaging-hosts/
  MOZILLA_NMHDIR/mozilla/native-messaging-hosts/