# How to further develop my package branch

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [April 23, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900 "2022-04-23T16:05:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stephen\_Vavasis](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stephen_vavasis/32/3389_2.png) [@Stephen\_Vavasis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Stephen_Vavasis)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/1 "2022-04-23T16:05:55Z")

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I am working on a branch of the package `DataStructures.jl`. Until now I have been using git in a rather ad-hoc and tedious manner to get my commits posted to github. I would prefer to use a proper Julia package dev method. However, I don’t know the correct command to get started. Below is what I tried, which gave me an error message. If I used `add` instead of `develop` as suggested by the error message, then will the package be stuck in the state in which it was downloaded? Please feel free to give me a verbose answer since I haven’t grasped the differences between `Pkg.add` and `Pkg.develop` nor how they interact with git.

```julia
julia> Pkg.develop(PackageSpec(name="DataStructures", url="https://github.com/StephenVavasis/DataStructures.jl", rev="sortedcontainerupdates"))
ERROR: rev argument not supported by `develop`; consider using `add` instead
Stacktrace:
 [1] pkgerror(msg::String)
   @ Pkg.Types C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\Types.jl:68
 [2] develop(ctx::Pkg.Types.Context, pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}; shared::Bool, preserve::Pkg.Types.PreserveLevel, platform::Base.BinaryPlatforms.Platform, kwargs::Base.Pairs{Symbol, Base.TTY, Tuple{Symbol}, NamedTuple{(:io,), Tuple{Base.TTY}}})
   @ Pkg.API C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\API.jl:189
 [3] develop(pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec}; io::Base.TTY, kwargs::Base.Pairs{Symbol, Union{}, Tuple{}, NamedTuple{(), Tuple{}}})
   @ Pkg.API C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\API.jl:149
 [4] develop(pkgs::Vector{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec})
   @ Pkg.API C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\API.jl:144
 [5] #develop#14
   @ C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\API.jl:141 [inlined]
 [6] develop(pkg::Pkg.Types.PackageSpec)
   @ Pkg.API C:\Users\vavasis\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.1\share\julia\stdlib\v1.7\Pkg\src\API.jl:141
 [7] top-level scope
   @ REPL[10]:1

```

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**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/2 "2022-04-23T16:14:21Z")

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If you use `develop` then you either track a local repository or clone a remote one and then track the local clone. From then on you decide what branch you’re checking out, so I assume that’s why the `rev` keyword doesn’t exist for develop. It would change anywaywith every commit you’re making on your branch.

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**Author:** ![Stephen\_Vavasis](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stephen_vavasis/32/3389_2.png) [@Stephen\_Vavasis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Stephen_Vavasis)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/3 "2022-04-23T16:35:41Z")

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Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! However, I don’t understand your answer. What does “track the local clone” mean? When you say “It could change anyway with every commit”, what could change? And is that good or bad?

Here is what I want to do: get a copy of the current version of the code from my github repository (the branch called `sortedcontainerupdates` of `DataStructures.jl`), save it in my local file system (ideally, not in `~/.julia`, which is not automatically backed up, but in `~/OneDrive`, which is backed up), edit it over the course of a week or two, make commits (?is that necessary?), test it with `Pkg.test()` as I revise it, re-run Documenter as necessary, and eventually use `git push` to send the revised code back to my repository on github.

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**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/4 "2022-04-23T17:28:28Z")

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You run `git clone url_of_repo local_path` and then you have the repository on your computer. You can check out any branch that you want with `git checkout branch`. Then run `] dev local_path` in an environment of your choice. The repository is now installed in that environment, “tracked” means that when you make changes to the code and restart Julia, this changed code will be loaded. (Can be done with Revise.jl in a running session as well). Packages that are “added” on the other hand are meant to be immutable. When you are satisfied with your changes you can commit and push them.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Stephen\_Vavasis](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stephen_vavasis/32/3389_2.png) [@Stephen\_Vavasis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Stephen_Vavasis)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/5 "2022-04-23T17:55:36Z")

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Thanks very much, that worked! One last question: What workflow is associated with specifying a remote URL in the `] dev` command?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mattriks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mattriks/32/351_2.png) [@Mattriks](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Mattriks)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/6 "2022-04-23T17:57:22Z")

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[How to contribute to existing package](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-contribute-to-existing-package/32749) might help?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/41988e/32.png) [@jules](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jules)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-further-develop-my-package-branch/79900/7 "2022-04-23T19:50:28Z")

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The repo will be cloned to `.julia/dev` by default, that folder can be changed too. But you can also do `] dev --local URL` and then the repo will be cloned into `./dev` relative to whatever your working directory is