Car Package Manager

Car is the official package manager for Redrose Linux.

Getting Started

Initialize Car before using it:

commandsudo car init

This creates Car’s configuration directory and required files.

Update the package list regularly to keep your system synced with mirrors:

commandsudo car updatelist

Running this every few days ensures you always have the latest package information.

Regularly update packages:

Installed packages are tracked at:

directory~/etc/repro.car

Redrose Flower/Tree choice is stored in /etc/stability.conf with values either Stable or Rolling_Release.

Basic Commands

commandcar get <package> [--noconfirm]
car delete <package>
car update
car search <package>
car updatelist
car init

• car get <package> — Installs a package.
• car delete <package> — Removes a package.
• car update — update system.
• car search <package> — Searches mirrors for available packages.
• car updatelist — Updates your local package list.
• car init — Initializes configuration directories and hooks.
• car list — show all installed packages.

Reinstalling Packages

Car reinstalls only when updates are available. To force reinstall a package manually, run:

commandsudo car delete <package>
sudo car get <package>

Autocorrection

Car can correct typos in package names. If a requested name doesn’t match exactly, Car installs the closest known match.

command with outputredrose% car get firfox
Note: Using firefox instead of firfox

Hooks

Hooks allow automatic actions after installation. To create one:

1. Add a file to ~/.config/car/post-inst-hooks.
2. Define a run(package) function inside that file.

Repositories

Repository definitions are stored in ~/etc/mirrors.car.

code:base:
install_script = https://raw.githubusercontent.com/crust-project/car-binary-storage/main/
packagelist = https://raw.githubusercontent.com/crust-project/car/main/existing-packages.txt
:end:

Each repository requires:

• A package list (text file, one package per line).
• A directory containing package installation scripts.
• A packagelist with latest versions.

Example package list:

textpackage1
package2
package3

Example package list with versions:

textpackage1=0.0.1
package2=0.0.2
package3=0.0.3

Car supports URLs and local paths (using file://), so you can create local repositories.

Example Repository Layout

treemy-repo/
  my-package/
    install_script
    index.html
  my-other-package/
    install_script
    index.html
  versions.txt
  packages.txt

Creating Packages

Every package must include an install_script. Example:

version = "0.0.1"

def beforeinst():
    print("Runs before installation")

def deps():
    # Optional - use the car_deps array, do not include if none, use this to install anything extra
    print(":: No dependencies required")

def build():
    # Optional
    print(":: No build required")

def install():
    pass

def postinst():
    pass

Function overview:

• – beforeinst() – Runs before installation begins. State the license here.
• – deps() – Handles package dependencies (optional).
• – build() – Builds the package if necessary (optional).
• – install() – Installs the package files.
• – postinst() – Executes after installation completes.

Additional package variables:

• – version – Package version (required).
• – description – Short description of the package.
• – trusted – Trust level (can only be set by the repository owner):
  • – True – EU FOSS
  • – Maybe – OSS
  • – False – Proprietary
• – outdated – Indicates if the package is outdated:
  • – True – Outdated
  • – False – Up to date
• – car_deps and pacman_deps – Arrays of dependencies. Include only if applicable.
  • – car_deps are installed automatically.
• – maintainer – List of maintainers. Example:

  maintainer = [
      {"Name": "Example Maintainer", "email": "example@example.com", "nick": "example"}
  ]

• – DoNotWriteVersion = True – Optional; if set, the version will not be written to repro.car.

Local Packages

Submitting Packages

1. Fork car-binary-storage on GitHub.
2. Create a new directory for your package and add your install_script.
3. Follow naming conventions (-bin, -git, -stable).
4. Submit a pull request.

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