Let's revisit packaging with SCMSync workflow

2025-07-20T00:00:00+00:00
So here I am doing another attempt at updating a package in openSUSE. This package is biome</a>. As of writing, it's way behind 1 minor version, and still at version 2.0.5.
Preparing to fork and clone §</a > </h1>
The first thing I did was login to https://src.opensuse.org</a> with my openSUSE account.


Once logged in, I headed to https://src.opensuse.org/javascript/biome</a>.

I clicked the fork button on the upper-right and cloned the repository to inside a local directory, in this case, mine is located at `~/development/git-obs/</code> since this kind of workflow does not really require a "root" OBS directory e.g. ~/development/obs</code> where it contains directories to projects such as my home project home:uncomfyhalomacro</code> that contains packages or subprojects.`
``
``

Updating the sources
§</a
>
</h1>
I deleted the sources first with the following commands:</p>
cd</span> biome</span>  #</span> heading into the git repository</span></span>
git</span> rm</span> *</span>.tar</span>*</span>  #</span> deleting the sources</span></span></code></pre>
FYI, I accidentally ran osc rm *.tar*</code> at first because I was still stuck with the mindset using the old workflow.</p>
</p>
The latest version as of writing is now at 2.1.2 or specifically, at the git tag @biomejs/biome@2.1.2</code>. Seems they use a
different naming scheme for tagging versions but it's still 2.1.2. No worries because the Source0</code> points to
the archive of the same naming scheme.</p>
</p>
Then I ran the following command.</p>
osc</span> service</span> -</span>vvv</span> mr</span></span></code></pre>
</p>
As you can see from the image above, biome has a lot of crate dependencies.</p>
This command produced two new tarballs, biome-2.1.2.tar.gz</code> and a refreshed vendor.tar.zst</code>.</p>
Updating the changes file§</a
>
</h1>
I ran the following command to update the biome.changes</code> file.</p>
osc</span> vc</span></span></code></pre>
However, this makes this a manual process because there is no perfect way to get all changelogs. Hence,
I have to clone the upstream biome repository on GitHub.</p>
</p>
Then ran the following commands to get each commit summary between 2.0.5 and 2.1.2.</p>
git</span> log</span> @biomejs/biome@2.0.5..@biomejs/biome@2.1.2</span> -</span>-oneline</span> |</span> cut</span> -</span>d</span>'</span> '</span> -</span>f2-</span> |</span> wl-copy</span></span></code></pre>
</p>
Commiting and pushing the changes§</a
>
</h1>
Then I committed those changes after adding the updated files and removing the old sources.</p>
</p>
I ran git push</code>. Remember that this operation should have Git LFS enabled.</p>
Setting the meta project and meta package§</a
>
</h1>
At this point, if I was sure that this will build correctly, I can just open a PR to https://src.opensuse.org/javascript/biome</a>.</p>
However, just for showing how I set a meta project and a meta package, I ran the following commands.</p>
osc</span> meta</span> prj</span> -</span>e</span> home:uncomfyhalomacro:biomejs</span></span></code></pre>
The XML file configuration for this meta project is this.</p>
<</span>project</span> name</span>=</span>"</span>home:uncomfyhalomacro:biomejs</span>"</span>></span></span>
</span>
  <</span>title</span>></span></</span>title</span>></span> <!--</span> Short title of NewProject </span>--></span></span>
  <</span>description</span>></span></</span>description</span>></span></span>
    <!--</span> This is for a longer description of the purpose of the project </span>--></span></span>
</span>
  <!--</span> Uncomment and specify an URL and branch if your project is managed in git.</span></span>
  <scmsync>url#branch</scmsync></span></span>
  --></span></span>
</span>
  <</span>person</span> role</span>=</span>"</span>maintainer</span>"</span> userid</span>=</span>"</span>uncomfyhalomacro</span>"</span> /></span></span>
  <</span>person</span> role</span>=</span>"</span>bugowner</span>"</span> userid</span>=</span>"</span>uncomfyhalomacro</span>"</span> /></span></span>
<!--</span> remove this block to publish your packages on the mirrors </span>--></span></span>
  <</span>publish</span>></span></span>
    <</span>disable</span> /></span></span>
  </</span>publish</span>></span></span>
  <</span>build</span>></span></span>
    <</span>enable</span> /></span></span>
  </</span>build</span>></span></span>
  <</span>debuginfo</span>></span></span>
    <</span>enable</span> /></span></span>
  </</span>debuginfo</span>></span></span>
</span>
</span>
  <</span>repository</span> name</span>=</span>"</span>openSUSE_Factory</span>"</span>></span></span>
    <</span>path</span> project</span>=</span>"</span>openSUSE:Factory</span>"</span> repository</span>=</span>"</span>snapshot</span>"</span> /></span></span>
    <</span>arch</span>></span>x86_64</span></</span>arch</span>></span></span>
    <</span>arch</span>></span>i586</span></</span>arch</span>></span></span>
  </</span>repository</span>></span></span>
</span>
</</span>project</span>></span></span></code></pre>
Take note</strong> that I did not set scmsync option for this because I don't need to or I have not learned to set a git project as a meta project's scmsync option yet.</p>
For package setup, I pointed it to the new meta project and then added a suffix /biome</code> to create a package biome.</p>
osc</span> meta</span> pkg</span> -</span>e</span> home:uncomfyhalomacro:biomejs/biome</span></span></code></pre>
Sadly, I am not too fluent with how the XML configuration works. So I just passed this one instead</p>
<</span>package</span> name</span>=</span>"</span>biome</span>"</span>></span></span>
</span>
  <</span>title</span>></span></</span>title</span>></span> <!--</span> Title of package </span>--></span></span>
</span>
  <</span>description</span>></span></</span>description</span>></span> <!--</span> for long description </span>--></span></span>
</span>
  <</span>scmsync</span>></span>https://src.opensuse.org/uncomfyhalomacro/biome#main</span></</span>scmsync</span>></span></span>
</span>
<!--</span> following roles are inherited from the parent project</span></span>
  <person role="maintainer" userid="uncomfyhalomacro"/></span></span>
  <person role="bugowner" userid="uncomfyhalomacro"/></span></span>
--></span></span>
<!--</span></span>
  <url>PUT_UPSTREAM_URL_HERE</url></span></span>
--></span></span>
</span>
<!--</span></span>
  use one of the examples below to disable building of this package</span></span>
  on a certain architecture, in a certain repository,</span></span>
  or a combination thereof:</span></span>
</span>
  <disable repository="SUSE_SLE-10"/></span></span>
  <disable repository="SUSE_SLE-10" arch="x86_64"/></span></span>
</span>
  Possible sections where you can use the tags above:</span></span>
  <build></span></span>
  </build></span></span>
  <debuginfo></span></span>
  </debuginfo></span></span>
  <publish></span></span>
  </publish></span></span>
  <useforbuild></span></span>
  </useforbuild></span></span>
</span>
  Please have a look at:</span></span>
  http://en.opensuse.org/Restricted_formats</span></span>
  Packages containing formats listed there are NOT allowed to</span></span>
  be packaged in the openSUSE Buildservice and will be deleted!</span></span>
</span>
--></span></span>
</span>
</</span>package</span>></span></span></code></pre>
Notice the scmsync option. I pointed it to my fork and with the branch "main".</p>
Fortunately, the meta project has the correct config for setting which images to use for the build workers.</p>
</p>
For clarity, the full link to the build after setting the meta project and meta package is https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:uncomfyhalomacro:biomejs/biome</a>. You may not be able to access this in the future because
I probably deleted the meta project.</p>
I waited for the builds to succeed.</p>
</p>
One of the builds succeeded after a while.</p>
</p>
Making a PR§</a
>
</h1>
Lastly, I created a PR from my fork to the javascript project</p>
</p>
The autogits-devel</strong> bot will stage my changes (with the autogits_obs_staging_bot</strong>) and creates a new meta project for testing my PR.</p>
It basically just did what I did in the last steps where I created a meta project and meta package and check if the builds succeed.</p>
</p>
</p>
</p>
Once the builds succeed, my changes are then merged.</p>
The merge message should look similar to the one I had for rusty_v8</strong> (see image below).</p>
</p>
Conclusion§</a
>
</h1>
At this point, I am not familiar how those changes are pushed into Factory</del>. I believe there will be an automation as well
for pushing devel packages from devel projects to Factory. I also believe that the https://opensuse.github.io/scm-staging/user_guide.html</a> is
deprecated or inaccurate because of this experience.</p>
In conclusion, I guess this is how far I can understand how the SCMSync workflow works. If you have any questions, just
email me</a> or message me in openSUSE Discord</a>.</p>
Updated Last Step–SR a devel project to Factory§</a
>
</h1>
Avindra, one of the packagers, messaged me on Discord and that there is a part I missed. To submit a devel project
to Factory, one can just do the same thing as mentioned in https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:OBS_to_Git#How_to_submit_from_devel_project_to_Factory?</a>.</p>
Hence, for biome, it would be just</p>
osc</span> sr</span> devel:languages:javascript/biome</span> openSUSE:Factory</span></span></code></pre>
But when I did this, the rev is suspicious and also there was no changelog. I aborted because I then discovered that
the meta package is still building for RISCv64. It's still building after I slept for 8 hours... 🤣</p>
Thus, I SR-ed for rusty_v8. I will SR for deno too after a few days to let the snapshot have rusty_v8. 🙂</p>
uncomfy - openbuildservice

Let's revisit packaging with SCMSync workflow
