# Two questions on package development

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** package\
**Created:** [July 6, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864 "2022-07-06T22:33:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![\_stla](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/_stla/32/35613_2.png) [@\_stla](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/_stla)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/1 "2022-07-06T22:33:07Z")

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Hello,

I’m facing two uncomfortable issues when developing a package:

- How to install it? Currently I install it from Github with `Pkg.add(url = ......)`. That does not look serious.

- Once it is installed, I have a problem for updating the documentation with **Documenter.jl** (`makedocs(...)`): the documentation is not updated because **Documenter.jl** takes the installed version of the package. How to deal with this issue?

---

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**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/2 "2022-07-06T22:44:02Z")

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I usually use [PkgTemplates.jl](https://github.com/invenia/PkgTemplates.jl) to setup my package structure.

That is usually invoked as follows:

```julia
using PkgTemplates
Template(interactive=true)("MyPkg")

```

Within the `MyPkg` folder, usually (`~/.juila/dev/MyPkg/`), there will be a [`docs`](https://github.com/mkitti/ArrayAllocators.jl/tree/main/docs) folder. In there, PkgTemplates.jl has setup a Julia project to build the documentation. In particular, this contains a `make.jl`. Here is an example from ArrayAllocators.jl:

> <https://github.com/mkitti/ArrayAllocators.jl/blob/main/docs/make.jl>

The associated Manifest.toml will point to the paths of the particular packages I want. In this the Manifest.toml says I want to use ArrayAllocators.jl from the parent directory:

> <https://github.com/mkitti/ArrayAllocators.jl/blob/13d8c0f5fe36c4941ea17e75d8a2f67c90198d60/docs/Manifest.toml#L20-L24>

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![\_stla](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/_stla/32/35613_2.png) [@\_stla](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/_stla)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/3 "2022-07-09T17:19:47Z")

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Thanks. I also use **PkgTemplates**. Can you install the package without using Github?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Elrod](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/elrod/32/22461_2.png) [@Elrod](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Elrod)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 1:54am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/4 "2022-07-10T01:54:00Z")

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If you’re developing a package, you should be using `dev`/`develop`, not `add`.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/5 "2022-07-10T03:15:19Z")

</div>

> [@\_stla](#):
>
> Can you install the package without using Github?

Yes. Here is the documentation:

[https://pkgdocs.julialang.org/v1/api/#Pkg.add](https://pkgdocs.julialang.org/v1/api/#Pkg.add)

In particular, take a look at `PackageSpec` which has a `path` keyword argument.  
[https://pkgdocs.julialang.org/v1/api/#Pkg.PackageSpec](https://pkgdocs.julialang.org/v1/api/#Pkg.PackageSpec)

Let’s say I use `PkgTemplates` and customize `dir` to be `~/src` so the package lives at `~/src/MyPkg` as follows:

```julia
julia> using PkgTemplates

julia> Template(interactive=true)("MyPkg")
Template keywords to customize:
[press: d=done, a=all, n=none]
   [] user
   [] authors
 > [X] dir
   [] host
   [] julia
   [] plugins
Enter value for 'dir' (String, default="~/.julia/dev"): ~/src
[ Info: Running prehooks
[ Info: Running hooks
  Activating project at `~/src/MyPkg`
...

```

Then I use the Pkg REPL as follows to add the package to a temporary environment:

```julia
(@v1.7) pkg> activate --temp
  Activating new project at `/tmp/jl_OOV4GX`

(jl_OOV4GX) pkg> add ~/src/MyPkg
     Cloning git-repo `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg`
    Updating git-repo `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg`
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_OOV4GX/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_OOV4GX/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`
Precompiling project...
  1 dependency successfully precompiled in 1 seconds

```

As Chris, mentioned, I can also `dev` the package:

```julia
(jl_OOV4GX) pkg> dev ~/src/MyPkg
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_OOV4GX/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_OOV4GX/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`

```

If you prefer to use the `Pkg` API, this is the equivalent of the above:

```julia
julia> using Pkg

julia> Pkg.activate(temp=true)
  Activating new project at `/tmp/jl_xGkOLr`

julia> Pkg.add(path="/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg")
    Updating git-repo `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg`
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_xGkOLr/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_xGkOLr/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`

julia> Pkg.develop(path="/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg")
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_xGkOLr/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_xGkOLr/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`

```

If you want to use `PackageSpec` directly, that is also possible:

```julia
julia> using Pkg

julia> mypkg = PackageSpec(path="/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg")
PackageSpec(
  path = /home/mkitti/src/MyPkg
  version = *
)

julia> Pkg.add(mypkg)
    Updating git-repo `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg`
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_atZNj8/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_atZNj8/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main`

julia> Pkg.develop(mypkg)
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_atZNj8/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_atZNj8/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] ~ MyPkg v0.1.0 `/home/mkitti/src/MyPkg#main` ⇒ v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`

```

Just in case it is confusing, you only have to use either `add` or `develop`.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/6 "2022-07-10T03:17:09Z")

</div>

There is one other interface to `Pkg` that uses the `pkg` String macro:

```julia
julia> using Pkg

julia> pkg"activate --temp"
  Activating new project at `/tmp/jl_bosGj4`

julia> pkg"dev ~/src/MyPkg"
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `/tmp/jl_bosGj4/Project.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`
    Updating `/tmp/jl_bosGj4/Manifest.toml`
  [6b62e0e2] + MyPkg v0.1.0 `~/src/MyPkg`

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![\_stla](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/_stla/32/35613_2.png) [@\_stla](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/_stla)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 9:28am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/two-questions-on-package-development/83864/7 "2022-07-11T09:28:56Z")

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Thanks!