@copying
This manual is for the F-Droid repository server tools.
-Copyright @copyright{} 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Ciaran Gultnieks
+Copyright @copyright{} 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Ciaran Gultnieks
Copyright @copyright{} 2011 Henrik Tunedal, Michael Haas, John Sullivan
Copyright @copyright{} 2013 David Black
-Copyright @copyright{} 2013, 2014 Daniel MartÃ
+Copyright @copyright{} 2013, 2014, 2015 Daniel MartÃ
+
+Copyright @copyright{} 2015 Boris Kraut
@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
@item
GNU/Linux
@item
-Python 2.x
+Python 3.4 or later
@item
The Android SDK Tools and Build-tools.
Note that F-Droid does not assume that you have the Android SDK in your
@item
Ruby (debian packages ruby and rubygems)
@item
-Vagrant (unpackaged, tested on v1.4.3)
+Vagrant (debian package vagrant - 1.4.x or higher required)
+@item
+vagrant-cachier plugin (unpackaged): `vagrant plugin install vagrant-cachier`
@item
Paramiko (debian package python-paramiko)
@item
Imaging (debian package python-imaging)
-@item
-Magic (debian package python-magic)
@end itemize
On the other hand, if you want to build the apps directly on your system
following:
@example
-./fdroid build org.fdroid.fdroid:16
+fdroid build org.fdroid.fdroid:16
@end example
This attempts to build version code 16 (which is version 0.25) of the F-Droid
If you were intending to publish these files, you could then run:
@example
-./fdroid publish
+fdroid publish
@end example
The source tarball would move to the @code{repo} directory (which is the
party.
+@section Running "fdroid build" in your app's source
+
+Another option for using @code{fdroid build} is to use a metadata file
+that is included in the app's source itself, rather than in a
+@code{metadata/} folder with lots of other apps. This metadata file
+should be in the root of your source repo, and be called
+@code{.fdroid.json}, @code{.fdroid.xml}, @code{.fdroid.yaml}, or
+@code{.fdroid.txt}, depending on your preferred data format: JSON,
+XML, YAML, or F-Droid's @code{.txt} format.
+
+Once you have that setup, you can build the most recent version of
+the app using the whole FDroid stack by running:
+
+@example
+fdroid build
+@end example
+
+If you want to build every single version, then specify @code{--all}.
+
+
@section Direct Installation
You can also build and install directly to a connected device or emulator
@node Importing Applications
@chapter Importing Applications
-To help with starting work on including a new application, @code{fdroid import}
-will take a URL and optionally some other parameters, and attempt to construct
-as much information as possible by analysing the source code. Basic usage is:
+To help with starting work on including a new application, use
+@code{fdroid import} to set up a new template project. It has two
+modes of operation, starting with a cloned git repo:
+
+@example
+git clone https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient
+cd fdroidclient
+fdroid import
+@end example
+
+Or starting with a URL to a project page:
@example
-./fdroid import --url=http://address.of.project
+fdroid import --url=http://address.of.project
@end example
-For this to work, the URL must point to a project format that the script
+When a URL is specified using the @code{--url=} flag, @code{fdroid
+import} will use that URL to find out information about the project,
+and if it finds a git repo, it will also clone that. For this to
+work, the URL must point to a project format that the script
understands. Currently this is limited to one of the following:
@enumerate
@item
+GitLab - @code{https://gitlab.com/PROJECTNAME/REPONAME}
+@item
Gitorious - @code{https://gitorious.org/PROJECTNAME/REPONAME}
@item
Github - @code{https://github.com/USER/PROJECT}
the metadata files in the metadata directory.
@end enumerate
-The metadata files are simple, easy to edit text files, always named as the
-application's package ID with '.txt' appended.
+The original metadata files are simple, easy to edit text files,
+always named as the application's package ID with '.txt' appended.
+Additionally, you can use JSON, XML, or YAML for app metadata, using
+the same fields as the original '.txt' format.
+
+Note that although the metadata files are designed to be easily read
+and writable by humans, they are also processed and written by various
+scripts. The original '.txt' format can be automatically cleaned up
+when necessary. The structure and comments will be preserved
+correctly, although the order of fields will be standardised. (In the
+event that the original file was in a different order, comments are
+considered as being attached to the field following them). In fact,
+you can standardise all the '.txt' metadata in a single command,
+without changing the functional content, by running:
-Note that although the metadata files are designed to be easily read and
-writable by humans, they are also processed and written by various scripts.
-They are capable of rewriting the entire file when necessary. Even so,
-the structure and comments will be preserved correctly, although the order
-of fields will be standardised. (In the event that the original file was
-in a different order, comments are considered as being attached to the field
-following them). In fact, you can standardise all the metadata in a single
-command, without changing the functional content, by running:
+@example
+fdroid rewritemeta
+@end example
+
+Or just run it on a specific app:
@example
-fdroid rewritemetadata
+fdroid rewritemeta org.adaway
@end example
The following sections describe the fields recognised within the file.
@menu
* Categories::
+* Author Name::
+* Author Email::
* License::
* Auto Name::
* Name::
* Web Site::
* Source Code::
* Issue Tracker::
+* Changelog::
* Donate::
* FlattrID::
* Bitcoin::
* Maintainer Notes::
* Repo Type::
* Repo::
+* Binaries::
* Build::
* AntiFeatures::
* Disabled::
This is converted to (@code{<categories>}) in the public index file.
+@node Author Name
+@section Author Name
+
+@cindex Author Name
+
+The name of the author, either full, abbreviated or pseudonym. If
+present, it should represent the name(s) as published by upstream,
+e.g. in their copyright or authors file. This can be omitted (or left
+blank).
+
+This is converted to (@code{<author>}) in the public index file.
+
+@node Author Email
+@section Author Email
+
+@cindex Author Email
+
+The e-mail address of the author(s). This can be omitted (or left
+blank).
+
+This is converted to (@code{<email>}) in the public index file.
+
@node License
@section License
This is converted to (@code{<tracker>}) in the public index file.
+@node Changelog
+@section Changelog
+
+@cindex Changelog
+
+The URL for the application's changelog. Optional, since not all
+applications have one.
+
+This is converted to (@code{<changelog>}) in the public index file.
+
@node Donate
@section Donate
@cindex Summary
A brief summary of what the application is. Since the summary is only allowed
-one line on the list of the F-Droid client, keeping it to within 50 characters
+one line on the list of the F-Droid client, keeping it to within 80 characters
will ensure it fits most screens.
@node Description
@item
@samp{srclib}
@end itemize
+
@node Repo
@section Repo
and you want to use this srclib, then you have to set Repo to
@code{FooBar}.
+@node Binaries
+@section Binaries
+
+@cindex Binaries
+
+The location of binaries used in verification process.
+
+If specified, F-Droid will verify the output apk file of a build against the
+one specified. You can use %v and %c to point to the version name and version
+code of the current build. To verify the F-Droid client itself you could use:
+@code{Binaries:https://f-droid.org/repo/org.fdroid.fdroid_%c.apk}
+
+F-Droid will use upstream binaries if the verification succeeded.
+
@node Build
@section Build
takes place.
You can use $$SDK$$, $$NDK$$ and $$MVN3$$ to substitute the paths to the
-android SDK and NDK directories, and maven 3 executable respectively.
+android SDK and NDK directories, and maven 3 executable respectively. The
+following per-build variables are available likewise: $$VERSION$$,
+$$VERCODE$$ and $$COMMIT$$.
@item oldsdkloc=yes
The sdk location in the repo is in an old format, or the build.xml is
For Ant projects, you can optionally append a number with a colon at the
beginning of a srclib item to automatically place it in project.properties as
a library under the specified number. For example, if you specify
-@code{1:somelib@@1.0}, f-droid will automatically do the equivalent of the
+@code{1:somelib@@1.0}, F-Droid will automatically do the equivalent of the
legacy practice @code{prebuild=echo "android.library.reference.1=$$somelib$$"
>> project.properties}.
the init/prebuild/build command to substitute the relative path to the library
directory, but it could need tweaking if you've changed into another directory.
+Currently srclibs are necessary when upstream uses jar files or pulls
+dependencies from non-trusted repositories. While there is no guarantee that
+those binaries are free and correspondent to the source code, F-Droid allows
+the following known repositories until a source-built alternative is available:
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+@samp{mavenCentral} - the original repo, hardcoded in Maven and Gradle.
+
+@item
+@samp{jCenter} - hardcoded in Gradle, this repo by Bintray tries to provide
+easier handling. It should sync with mavenCentral from time to time.
+
+@item
+@samp{OSS Sonatype} - maintained by the people behind mavenCentral, this
+repository focuses on hosting services for open source project binaries.
+
+@item
+@samp{JitPack.io} - builds directly from Github repositories. However,
+they do not provide any option to reproduce or verify the resulting
+binaries. Builds pre-release versions in some cases.
+
+@item
+@samp{Clojars} - Clojure libraries repo.
+
+@item
+@samp{CommonsWare} - repo holding a collection of open-source libs.
+
+@end itemize
+
@item patch=x
Apply patch(es). 'x' names one (or more - comma-seperated) files within a
directory below the metadata, with the same name as the metadata file but
You can use $$SDK$$, $$NDK$$ and $$MVN3$$ to substitute the paths to the
android SDK and NDK directories, and Maven 3 executable respectively e.g.
-for when you need to run @code{android update project} explicitly.
+for when you need to run @code{android update project} explicitly. The
+following per-build variables are available likewise: $$VERSION$$, $$VERCODE$$
+and $$COMMIT$$.
@item scanignore=<path1>[,<path2>,...]
Enables one or more files/paths to be excluded from the scan process.
paths start with any of the paths given here are ignored.
@item scandelete=<path1>[,<path2>,...]
-Similar to scanignore=, but instead of ignoring files under the given paths,
-it tells f-droid to delete the matching files directly.
+When running the scan process, any files that trigger errors - like binaries -
+will be removed. It acts just like scanignore=, but instead of ignoring the
+files, it removes them.
+
+Useful when a source code repository includes binaries or other unwanted files
+which are not needed for the build. Instead of removing them manually via rm=,
+using scandelete= is easier.
@item build=xxxx
As for 'prebuild', but runs during the actual build phase (but before the
build= (or the final build) is run.
You can use $$SDK$$, $$NDK$$ and $$MVN3$$ to substitute the paths to the
-android SDK and NDK directories, and Maven 3 executable respectively.
+android SDK and NDK directories, and maven 3 executable respectively. The
+following per-build variables are available likewise: $$VERSION$$,
+$$VERCODE$$ and $$COMMIT$$.
@item buildjni=[yes|no|<dir list>]
Enables building of native code via the ndk-build script before doing
that included legacy toolchains, so as to not break builds that require
toolchains no longer included in current versions of the NDK.
-The buildserver supports r9b with its legacy toolchains and the latest release
-as of writing this document, r10d. You may add support for more versions by
-adding them to 'ndk_paths' in your config file.
+The buildserver supports r9b with its legacy toolchains, r10e and the
+latest release as of writing this document, r12b. You may add support
+for more versions by adding them to 'ndk_paths' in your config file.
@item gradle=<flavour1>[,<flavour2>,...]
Build with Gradle instead of Ant, specifying what flavours to use. Flavours
are case sensitive since the path to the output apk is as well.
-If only one flavour is given and it is 'yes' or 'main', no flavour will be
-used. Note that for projects with flavours, you must specify at least one
-valid flavour since 'yes' or 'main' will build all of them separately.
+If only one flavour is given and it is 'yes', no flavour will be used.
+Note that for projects with flavours, you must specify at least one
+valid flavour since 'yes' will build all of them separately.
@item maven=yes[@@<dir>]
-Build with Maven instead of Ant. An extra @@<dir> tells f-droid to run Maven
+Build with Maven instead of Ant. An extra @@<dir> tells F-Droid to run Maven
inside that relative subdirectory. Sometimes it is needed to use @@.. so that
builds happen correctly.
List of Gradle tasks to be run before the assemble task in a Gradle project
build.
+@item gradleprops=<prop1>[,<prop2>,...]
+List of Gradle properties to pass via the command line to Gradle. A property
+can be of the form @code{foo} or of the form @code{key=value}.
+
+For example: @code{gradleprops=enableFoo,someSetting=bar} will result in
+@code{gradle -PenableFoo -PsomeSetting=bar}.
+
@item antcommands=<target1>[,<target2>,...]
Specify an alternate set of Ant commands (target) instead of the default
'release'. It can't be given any flags, such as the path to a build.xml.
-@item output=path/to/output.apk
-To be used when app is built with a tool other than the ones natively
-supported, like GNU Make. The given path will be where the build= set of
-commands should produce the final unsigned release apk.
+@item output=glob/to/output.apk
+Specify a glob path where the resulting unsigned release apk from the
+build should be. This can be used in combination with build methods like
+@code{gradle=yes} or @code{maven=yes}, but if no build method is
+specified, the build is manual. You should run your build commands, such
+as @code{make}, in @code{build=}.
@item novcheck=yes
Don't check that the version name and code in the resulting apk are
This is optional - if present, it contains a comma-separated list of any of
the following values, describing an anti-feature the application has.
-Even though such apps won't be displayed unless a settings box is ticked,
-it is a good idea to mention the reasons for the anti-feature(s) in the
+It is a good idea to mention the reasons for the anti-feature(s) in the
description:
@itemize @bullet
without major changes to the app.
@item
-@samp{NonFreeAdd} - the application promotes non-Free add-ons, such that the
+@samp{NonFreeAdd} - the application promotes non-free add-ons, such that the
app is effectively an advert for other non-free software and such software is
not clearly labelled as such.
@item
-@samp{NonFreeDep} - the application depends on a non-Free application (e.g.
+@samp{NonFreeDep} - the application depends on a non-free application (e.g.
Google Maps) - i.e. it requires it to be installed on the device, but does not
include it.
+@item
+@samp{UpstreamNonFree} - the application is or depends on non-free software.
+This does not mean that non-free software is included with the app: Most
+likely, it has been patched in some way to remove the non-free code. However,
+functionality may be missing.
+
+@item
+@samp{NonFreeAssets} - the application contains and makes use of non-free
+assets. The most common case is apps using artwork - images, sounds, music,
+etc - under a non-commercial license.
+
@end itemize
@node Disabled
archive. This app-specific policy setting can override that.
Currently the only supported format is "n versions", where n is the number
-of versions to keep.
+of versions to keep. Defaults to "3 versions".
@node Update Check Mode
@section Update Check Mode
name but change it programmatically in some app flavors, by e.g. appending
".open" or ".free" at the end of the package name.
+You can also use @code{Ignore} to ignore package name searching. This should
+only be used in some specific cases, for example if the app's build.gradle
+file does not contain the package name.
+
@node Update Check Data
@section Update Check Data
This field is normally automatically updated - see Update Check Mode.
+If not set or set to @code{0}, clients will recommend the highest version they
+can, as if the @code{Current Version Code} was infinite.
+
This is converted to (@code{<marketvercode>}) in the public index file.
@node No Source Since
@section Setting up a build server
In addition to the basic setup previously described, you will also need
-a Vagrant-compatible Debian Testing base box called 'testing32' (or testing64
+a Vagrant-compatible Debian Testing base box called 'jessie32' (or jessie64
for a 64-bit VM, if you want it to be much slower, and require more disk
space).
@example
cd /path/to/android-sdk/platforms
tar czf android-19.tar.gz android-19
-mv android-19.tar.gz /path/to/buildserver/addons/cache/platforms/}
+mv android-19.tar.gz /path/to/buildserver/addons/cache/platforms/
@end example
If you have already built a buildserver it is also possible to get this