Build a package API tool

[simonmar]

We need a tool that does the following:

• shows the API diffs between versions of a package
• checks that the version number is being bumped properly (see  http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Package_versioning_policy)
• feeds back the information to Haddock, so that the docs can indicate eg. "added in version 1.2"

It could be built on top of the GHC API fairly easily. This would make a great SoC project, I think - it has few dependencies, and if the student finishes the basic functionality early, there's lots more that could be added to it, for example Cabal/Hackage integration.

This is a very useful project from the point of view of making Hackage more robust. More packages following the PVP and correctly specified dependencies will mean much more reliable package management for the whole Haskell community.

There is an existing tool that could serve as a basis for the project:

•  http://github.com/Tener/haskell-package-vt

It appears to have seen no new development since it was posted in Nov 2009.

A relevant ticket in Haddock:

•  Indicate changed between versions in the documentation

In general it would be good to consider what other projects need in this area, for example Hoogle, and see whether any universally useful infrastructure could be built.

Interested Mentors

• Simon Marlow
• Duncan Coutts (adviser / co-mentor)

Interested Students

• Patai Gergely (patai /at/ iit.bme.hu)
• Tim Horton (tmhorton@…)

[guest]

This seems to have been implemented as  http://hackage.haskell.org/package/precis . Accordingly, I'm closing this ticket.