node-sass + libsass source coupling

[saper]

For better packaging I would like to have a complete source of the project in a single zip file.
Normally this is not a problem in Github, since I can simply pulls the zip file of every commit:
(e.g. https://github.com/sass/node-sass/archive/v2.0.1.zip)

Due to our use of submodules, however, the zipfile does not include a proper version of libsass as well as test specs are missing (I normally do not need them).

There are few possible solutions:

1. include libsass in our git and have one .zip file including libsass and our node bindings.
2. download two zipfiles separately, e.g. https://github.com/sass/node-sass/archive/v2.0.1.zip and https://github.com/sass/libsass/archive/3.1.0.zip
3. teach node-sass to use an out-of-tree libsass (use extracted sources or use a library)

My preferred solution would be 3, is that feasible?

[am11]

Thanks for your proposal.
This is similar to #389, which is actively under consideration at #712 and ultimately tackled by #743. Lets discuss it at #712.

The idea really is to make user point to any libsass commit and recompile the binary. The steps which our script might follow would be:

# in node-sass root directory
#
# when user will run `node scripts/update` (just an example command)
#
# read the value of npmSassConfig.libsass
# from package.json, which is the SHA1 commit hash
# to libsass. Then:
git clone https://github.com/sass/libsass src/libsass
git reset --hard my_favourite_SHA1_commit_hash
npm update    # installs missing dev dependencies
node scripts/build -f

I think people can do all that today manually. This little automation will not bringing an extraordinary advantage anyway..
(honestly its like four commands to hack your way in!)

---

Due to our use of submodules, however, the zipfile does not include a proper version of libsass

What do you mean, can you expand on it? The packaged libsass code is always pointing to the version of libsass we are releasing node-sass against.

as well as test specs are missing

Yes and new we have removed the entire test directory from the production package for vNext. User can always use git to pull it. The idea really is to keep the package size as slim as possible.

Now that you have mentioned, I will remove libsass from package as well. 😉

[saper]

I read #712 and #743 and came to the conclusion they are about binary package downloads, i.e. package with an already compiled binding file.

What most packagers need is just a version number and a source file corresponding to this version.

During an automated build it is much simpler to get a .zip file than play with git. I have an automated build that installs clean-room operating system, nodejs/iojs, npm and all dependencies - it fetches
source zipfiles, produces binary packages and installs them as necessary. This is all automated. I do not fetch python, node and other dependencies from git - the build system compiles them once into the binary package and unless something changes I am using those packages for testing. Each packages has a version number, not Git hash.

Besides, users of the package want to know that they have 2.0.1 and they can upgrade to, say, 2.0.2 and not use git hashes only. (Again, this is not a binary executable as in http://github.com/sass/node-sass-binaries but a complete binary package which can be installed with tar, without even calling npm).

This is similar to #389 problem, but instead of checking some code into src/libsass using git it might be better to point to existing libsass sources or even compiled binary. If we don't want to link shared libsass library, we can always use shared one (libsass.a).

[am11]

What most packagers need is just a version number and a source file corresponding to this version.

Today with v2.0.1, if you try require('node-sass').info(), you get node-sass and the corresponding libsass versions. Also you can require('path/to/node-sass/package.json').libsass to get only libsass version. See package.json#L4.

[saper]

But this works only after the the module has been built...

> require('node-sass').info()
Error: `libsass` bindings not found. Try reinstalling `node-sass`?
    at getBinding (/home/saper/sw/test2/node_modules/node-sass/lib/index.js:22:11)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home/saper/sw/test2/node_modules/node-sass/lib/index.js:188:23)
    at Module._compile (module.js:460:26)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:478:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:355:32)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:310:12)
    at Module.require (module.js:365:17)
    at require (module.js:384:17)
    at repl:1:1
    at REPLServer.defaultEval (repl.js:132:27)

I'll try two-zip approach and will see where I can arrive at.

[am11]

You can also try require('./package.json').libsass.

[kevinSuttle]

Walking into this error, brought me here. How do we fix this today, and avoid this in the future?

Error: `libsass` bindings not found. Try reinstalling `node-sass`?

[am11]

@kevinSuttle, sorry to tell you this but you landed on an unrelated issue. You can search the issue tracker and find the reasons of that exception.

[am11]

Closing it as a direct duplicate of #389.
@saper, lets continue this discussion there.