aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/doc/contributing.texi
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/contributing.texi')
-rw-r--r--doc/contributing.texi15
1 files changed, 15 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/contributing.texi b/doc/contributing.texi
index aedcb334c4..b18ffa1e57 100644
--- a/doc/contributing.texi
+++ b/doc/contributing.texi
@@ -369,6 +369,7 @@ needed is to review and apply the patch.
* Package Naming:: What's in a name?
* Version Numbers:: When the name is not enough.
* Synopses and Descriptions:: Helping users find the right package.
+* Snippets versus Phases:: Whether to use a snippet, or a build phase.
* Python Modules:: A touch of British comedy.
* Perl Modules:: Little pearls.
* Java Packages:: Coffee break.
@@ -599,6 +600,20 @@ Gettext}):
for the X11 resize-and-rotate (RandR) extension. @dots{}")
@end example
+@node Snippets versus Phases
+@subsection Snippets versus Phases
+
+@cindex snippets, when to use
+The boundary between using an origin snippet versus a build phase to
+modify the sources of a package can be elusive. Origin snippets are
+typically used to remove unwanted files such as bundled libraries,
+nonfree sources, or to apply simple substitutions. The source derived
+from an origin should produce a source that can be used to build the
+package on any system that the upstream package supports (i.e., act as
+the corresponding source). In particular, origin snippets must not
+embed store items in the sources; such patching should rather be done
+using build phases. Refer to the @code{origin} record documentation for
+more information (@pxref{origin Reference}).
@node Python Modules
@subsection Python Modules