Package Manager

Relevant source files

• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own.own
• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Config.own
• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own
• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Packages.own
• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Projects.own
• ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Registry.own

The Package Manager is OwnLang's command-line utility for project management and dependency handling. It provides the own command for initializing projects, managing dependencies, and running scripts. The system uses a global registry hosted on GitHub and manages local project configurations through own-package.json files.

For information about other CLI tools like the beautifier and linter, see CLI Tools and Utilities. For details about the REPL interactive environment, see Interactive REPL.

Architecture Overview

The package manager is implemented as a collection of OwnLang classes that work together to provide comprehensive project management functionality.

Class Structure and Dependencies

Package Manager Class Hierarchy

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own.own25-29 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own5-8

System Context and Initialization

The package manager creates a shared context object that provides common services to all components:

Context Property	Purpose	Implementation
DEBUG	Debug logging flag	Environment variable OWN_DEBUG
TMPDIR	Temporary directory path	Environment variables TEMP/TMP
OSNAME	Operating system detection	Java system property os.name
logger	Colored console output	Custom logging with ANSI colors
registry	Global package registry	GitHub-hosted JSON registry
config	Project configuration	own-package.json management
packages	Package operations	Download, install, usage display
projects	Project scaffolding	Default file generation

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own.own20-29 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own.own10-18

Command Line Interface

The package manager supports multiple commands through argument pattern matching in the main script:

Command Processing Flow

Command Routing in own.own

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own.own31-40

Available Commands

Command	Syntax	Purpose
init	own init	Initialize new project with default structure
add	own add <package>	Add package dependency to configuration
install	own install	Download all dependencies from configuration
run	own run [script]	Execute project scripts (default or named)
usage	own usage <package>	Display package usage documentation

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own61-74

Configuration System

Project configuration is managed through the own-package.json file, which follows a structured format similar to Node.js package.json.

Configuration Schema

The Config class handles all configuration operations and provides default values:

Property	Default Value	Purpose
name	Current directory name (sanitized)	Project identifier
version	"1.0.0"	Project version
author	Current user name	Project author
program	"main.own"	Main program file
scripts	{"default": ["$ownlang$", "-f", "$program$"]}	Executable scripts
dependencies	{}	Package dependencies

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Config.own41-57

Configuration File Operations

Configuration Lifecycle Management

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Config.own12-38

Package Registry and Management

The package manager uses a global registry hosted on GitHub to discover and download packages.

Registry Architecture

Registry Data Flow

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Registry.own4 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Registry.own10

Package Download Process

The system supports different package types, with GitHub Gists being the primary supported format:

Package Type	Source	File Resolution
gist	GitHub Gist API	Raw URL extraction from JSON response
Default	Not implemented	Empty array returned

The download process involves:

1. Registry Lookup: Check if package exists in global registry
2. Version Validation: Compare requested version with available version
3. File Enumeration: Get list of files from package source
4. Local Download: Download files to own-modules/<package>/ directory
5. Configuration Update: Save dependency to own-package.json

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Packages.own81-93 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Packages.own104-114

Package Usage Documentation

Packages can provide usage documentation through .usage.own files. The usage command displays this documentation:

Usage Documentation Display

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Packages.own129-144

Project Management

The Projects class handles project initialization and default file creation.

Project Initialization

When own init is executed, the system:

1. Configuration Creation: Generate or merge own-package.json with defaults
2. File Scaffolding: Create default program files if they don't exist
3. Directory Setup: Ensure proper project structure

The default program template creates a simple "Hello, world!" application:

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Projects.own6-8 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own10-17

Script Execution

The package manager supports running predefined scripts through variable substitution:

Variable	Replacement	Purpose
$ownlang$	ownlang or ownlang.cmd	OwnLang executable (OS-specific)
$program$	Configuration program value	Main program file
$dir$	Current working directory	Project directory path

Scripts are executed using Java's ProcessBuilder with inherited I/O for seamless integration with the terminal environment.

Sources: ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own38-59 ownlang-desktop/src/main/resources/scripts/own/Own.own3