Store version information in a VERSION file

[gildor478]

This feature request has been migrated from artifact #1465 on forge.ocamlcore.org. It was assigned to user102.

user20633 posted on 2015-05-14 07:56:02:

Some platforms (such as Gitlab) uses a VERSION file to display the current version in the interface.

A plugin could use this information from _oasis and create this file.

user102 replied on 2015-05-15 10:01:38:

Why not create a VERSION.ab file and use
FilesAB: VERSION.ab

VERSION.ab:
$(pkg_version)

This will generate the right VERSION file.

user20633 replied on 2015-05-25 13:45:52:

This would work but I couldn't make oasis working with this.

I read corresponding section in the manual and saw https://github.com/ocaml/oasis-db/blob/master/_oasis but it doesn't work.

I tried to add the line FilesAB: VERSION.ab to _oasis and created a VERSION.ab with $(pkg_version).
Then I run oasis setup. There is no error, nothing is displayed but it doesn't create the VERSION file. Is it normal?

user102 replied on 2015-05-25 14:06:01:

Yes you are right, you must run at least once:
$ ocaml setup.ml -configure

The configure step will generate the VERSION file. I agree this is not a perfect solution...

user20633 replied on 2015-05-25 14:08:29:

It works! Great!
Thanks.

It's ok, you may just add it in the manual, next to FilesAB option.

user102 replied on 2015-05-25 20:46:37:

Action to take:
Update documentation to explain when the file will be generated.