Sencha Cmd v3.1 includes the Sencha Package Manager. Packages have many uses even if you
do not intend to distribute the packages you create. This guide covers to process of
creating your own packages as well as distributing them. For information on using packages
please refer to Sencha Cmd Packages.
{@img ../command/sencha-command-128.png}
Before we can generate a new package, we must first create a home for it: a
Workspace. For this example we will use Ext JS 4.2 for this
package, so we start with this command:
sencha -sdk /path/to/ext-4.2.0 generate workspace /path/to/workspace
Now we navigate to the new workspace and generate the package:
cd /path/to/workspace
sencha -sdk ext generate package -type code foo
The above steps will produce a starter package that contains many commonly used pieces.
You can delete many of these but it is important to keep the ".sencha" folder intact.
The structure of a package generated by sencha generate package is as follows:
packages/
foo/ # Top-level folder for the package
.sencha/
package/
sencha.cfg # Sencha Cmd configuration for this package
build-impl.xml # Generated build script for package
plugin.xml # Sencha Cmd plugin for this package
codegen.json # Data to support 3-way merge in code generator
docs/ # Documentation for the package
screenshots/ # Screen shots for Sencha Market
licenses/ # License agreement
overrides/ # Folder for automatically activated overrides
resources/ # Static resources (typically has images folder)
sass/ # Container for Sass code
etc/ # General, non-component oriented Sass
src/ # Sass rules and mixins named by component
var/ # Sass variables named by component
src/ # Folder for normal JavaScript code
build.xml # Build script (called by `sencha package build`)
package.json # Package descriptor
Readme.md # High-level information about this package
While the above is quite extensive, the only parts that are required to be a package are
these: "package.json" and ".sencha/package/sencha.cfg".
The "package.json" file contains a description of the package. An example of this from
the "ext-theme-neptune" package:
{
"name": "ext-theme-neptune",
"type": "theme",
"creator": "Sencha",
"summary": "Ext JS Neptune Theme",
"detailedDescription": "The Neptune Theme provides a clean, modern style for Ext JS",
"version": "4.2.1",
"compatVersion": "4.2.0",
"format": "1",
"extend": "ext-theme-neutral"
}
The creator property is something you will need to set as a package author. There is no
verification of this text, but it must match the name you assign to your local package
repository discussed later.
The ".sencha/package/sencha.cfg" file is primarily important to the developer of the
package as it is used by Sencha Cmd during sencha package build. It is also used by
by user applications during their sencha app build process.
The purpose of most packages is to (eventually) become integrated in an application. To
accomplish this, Sencha Cmd incorporates the various pieces of each required package in
to an application during the sencha app build process.
Precisely how this takes place depends on the type of the package.
Different types of packages play different roles. Sencha Cmd understands the following
types of packages:
code - An arbitrary package of code for use by applications or other packages.require statementtheme - A package to be used as an application's theme. Themes are special in thattheme is allowed to be "active" in a build. This theme isapp.theme property and it causes all other theme packages that mayrequire to be filtered out. Themes can also use extend to inherit Sass andlocale - A package containing localization strings or locale-specific code. Thesetheme packages. Packages of this type add"package.json" called "locale". This should be set to the name"he" for Hebrew). The app.localelocalelocale value and they will all be includedThe "src" folder is the place for classes such as custom components or other useful
code. This code is automatically included in the classpath for applications or other
packages to require and use.
This is where you would likely put most of your JavaScript code. Classes placed in this
folder should follow the Compiler-Friendly Code Guidelines.
The "sass" folder contains three sub-folders designed to handle different aspects of
Sass compilation.
"sass/etc" - Code that does not relate directly to JavaScript classes"sass/var" - Variable definitions (mirroring JavaScript class hierarchy)"sass/src" - Mixins and rules (mirroring JavaScript class hierarchy)The folders and files in "sass/var" and "sass/ssrc" are organized such that they are
mirror images of the JavaScript classes to which they apply. This correspondence allows
Sencha Cmd to include the files needed by the application. Files in these folders that
do not conform to this will never be included since the process proceeds by mapping the
JavaScript class hierarchy to the file system and not be scanning these folders.
The package.sass.namespace (in ".sencha/package/sencha.cfg") determines the top-level
namespace to which your styling applies. This defaults to Ext for packages. You will
most likely need to change this in order to associate your Sass with your classes inside
your package's namespace.
The "resources" folder is where you place static resources needed by the package. When
applications consume the package, they will copy these resources into a sub-folder of their
own "resources" folder named by the package name. In this case, "resources/foo". The
relative paths used by Sass will be automatically corrected if you use the providedtheme-background-image method.
The "overrides" folder is specifically intended for your package to provide mandatory
overrides, hence its name. This mechanism should be used cautiously because all code you
place in this folder will be automatically required in to any application that uses this
package.
The Ext JS Neptune Theme uses this mechanism to change certain default config properties
on various components. Locale packages use this to inject their own text on to the
prototypes of various components or to provide locale-specific logic for things such as
date formatting.
Packages have a version property that describes its current version number. In
addition the current version (in the version property), packages can also indicate the
degree to which they are backward compatible using the compatVersion property.
These versions are used when resolving package requirements. Each release of a package
should have an updated version number. The meaning assigned to version numbers by Sencha
may help you:
x.y.z.b
x = Major release number (large, impacting changes and features)
y = Minor release number (new functionality but few if any breaking changes)
z = Patch release number (bug fix / maintenance release - goal of 100% compatible)
b = Build number (assigned by build system)
The version property is typically the easiest to maintain. The compatVersion, however,
is an intentional statement about the degree to which users should be able to transparently
upgrade and not require code changes.
Packages can require other packages in the same way that applications can require packages.
To do this, you add to the requires array:
{
"name": "bar",
"type": "code",
"creator": "anonymous",
"summary": "Short summary",
"detailedDescription": "Long description of package",
"version": "1.0.0",
"compatVersion": "1.0.0",
"format": "1",
"local": true,
"requires": [
'ext-easy-button'
]
}
NOTE: When using version restrictions as a package author, it is important to consider
that an application and all of the required packages will have to agree on a common version.
If you are too restrictive, this process can fail to find a mutually agreeable version for
all of the required packages.
The notion of inheritance for packages is intended exclusively for Themes. These are
most important ways in which the inherited package contents are rolled into the derived
package:
"resources" folders of inherited packages is copied in to the "resources""build" output folder.overrides of base packages are automatically included in the build output ofTo publish the package, you will need to build it using:
sencha package build
This produces a "build" folder inside the package. This is needed by applications when
they are running in "dev mode" (without being compiled). It also produces "foo.pkg" file
in your workspace's "build" folder. This file is not placed in the package's "build"
folder because:
The "foo.pkg" file is used to add the package to your local repository. See below.
NOTE: In Cmd v3.1.0, sencha package build may fail if you have Sass that depends
on the theme. To workaround this limitation, you can set the skip.sass and skip.slice
properties in ".sencha/package/sencha.cfg". The package will be usable in an application
because the theme will be included in sencha app build.
The local repository was introduced in Sencha Cmd Packages,
but there is more to know about it when you want distribute the packages you have created.
The local repository generated by Sencha Cmd looks like this:
.sencha/
repo/
sencha.cfg # Sencha Cmd configuration for the repo
plugin.xml # Plugin for repository hooks
private-key.json # Private key for repo
remotes/ # Storage for remote repositories
remoteName/ # Name given at `sencha repo add`
catalog.json # Last catalog from this remote
trust/ # Unused in this release
<somename>.cert.json # Copy of `cert.json` (a public key)
pkgs/
catalog.json # Catalog of all packages in this repo
cert.json # Public key for this repo
Foo/
catalog.json # Catalog for all versions of Foo package
cert.json # Public key for creator of Foo package
1.0/ # Folder containing version 1.0
Foo.pkg # Zip file of package
package.json # Extracted package descriptor
1.1/
...
Bar/
...
When Sencha Cmd generates the default local repository, it does not require you to provide
any kind of identity. This is fine for its role as a cache, but as a package author you
need to put your name on the packages you publish. Before you can publish packages you
need to initialize your local repository with an identity:
sencha package repo init -name "My Company" -email "support@mycompany.com"
After this step, your name and email address will be recorded in the local repository along
with a new public/private key pair.
NOTE: The name argument must match the value of the creator property you set in
the "package.json".
Your name, email and public key are stored in the "pkgs/cert.json" file. This file will
be automatically added to the packages you create to identify you as the package author.
Obviously given its name, your private key is not intended to be shared with others. It
is stored in your local repository in ".sencha/repo/private-key.json".
You might want to back up these two files as they will serve more important roles in
future releases.
The "pkgs" folder is where all the packages are stored. These may be packages you have
created or packages that you have downloaded.
When you add package ".pkg" files, these will be copied in to the "pkgs" folder tree.
The ".sencha/repo/plugin.xml" file is an Ant script that you
can use to provide "hooks" into repository actions such as sencha package add. For more
details on this, refer to the comments in the generated file.
Since: Sencha Cmd v3.1.1
Once you have the ".pkg" file from the build, and assuming that the name you have set
as your identity on your local repository matches the creator property defined in your"package.json", you can run this command:
sencha package add foo.pkg
Sencha Cmd will produce a hash of the ".pkg" file using your private key and add it to
the ".pkg" file you specify and it will then copy that file to the local repository.
Now that the package reside in the repository, other developers can require it if they
have added your repository as a remote.
The process to request that Sencha add your ".pkg" to the Sencha Package Repository is
still being finalized, but you can check Sencha Market for
updates on this.
The structure of the "pkgs" folder is the structure expected for a remote repository. All
that is required for others to require the packages you create is for them to add a
remote repository:
sencha package repo add my-company http://my.company.com/packages
That is, assuming you have hosted your "pkgs" folder content at the above HTTP URL. There
is nothing required of that hosting beyond HTTP GET access so a static file server or CDN
will work.