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3.1 API for Distributing Executables
assemble-distribution
3.2 API for Bundling Distributions
bundle-directory
bundle-put-file-extension+ style+ filters

3 raco distribute: Sharing Stand-Alone Executables

The raco distribute command combines a stand-alone executable created by raco exe with all of the shared libraries that are needed to run it, along with any run-time files declared via define-runtime-path. The resulting package can be moved to other machines that run the same operating system.

After the raco distribute command, supply a directory to contain the combined files for a distribution. Each command-line argument is an executable to include in the distribution, so multiple executables can be packaged together. For example, under Windows,

  raco distribute greetings hello.exe goodbye.exe

creates a directory "greetings" (if the directory doesn’t exist already), and it copies the executables "hello.exe" and "goodbye.exe" into "greetings". It also creates a "lib" sub-directory in "greetings" to contain DLLs, and it adjusts the copied "hello.exe" and "goodbye.exe" to use the DLLs in "lib".

The layout of files within a distribution directory is platform-specific:

A distribution also has a "collects" directory that is used as the main library collection directory for the packaged executables. By default, the directory is empty. Use the ++copy-collects flag of raco distribute to supply a directory whose content is copied into the distribution’s "collects" directory. The ++copy-collects flag can be used multiple times to supply multiple directories.

When multiple executables are distributed together, then separately creating the executables with raco exe can generate multiple copies of collection-based libraries that are used by multiple executables. To share the library code, instead, specify a target directory for library copies using the --collects-dest flag with raco exe, and specify the same directory for each executable (so that the set of libraries used by all executables are pooled together). Finally, when packaging the distribution with raco distribute, use the ++copy-collects flag to include the copied libraries in the distribution.

3.1 API for Distributing Executables

The compiler/distribute library provides a function to perform the same work as raco distribute.

(assemble-distribution dest-dir    
  exec-files    
  [#:collects-path path    
  #:copy-collects dirs])  void?
  dest-dir : path-string?
  exec-files : (listof path-string?)
  path : (or/c false/c (and/c path-string? relative-path?)) = #f
  dirs : (listof path-string?) = null
Copies the executables in exec-files to the directory dest-dir, along with DLLs, frameworks, and/or shared libraries that the executables need to run a different machine.

The arrangement of the executables and support files in dest-dir depends on the platform. In general assemble-distribution tries to do the Right Thing.

If a #:collects-path argument is given, it overrides the default location of the main "collects" directory for the packaged executables. It should be relative to the dest-dir directory (typically inside it).

The content of each directory in the #:copy-collects argument is copied into the main "collects" directory for the packaged executables.

3.2 API for Bundling Distributions

The compiler/bundle-dist library provides a function to pack a directory (usually assembled by assemble-distribution) into a distribution file. Under Windows, the result is a ".zip" archive; under Mac OS X, it’s a ".dmg" disk image; under Unix, it’s a ".tgz" archive.

(bundle-directory dist-file dir [for-exe?])  void?
  dist-file : file-path?
  dir : file-path?
  for-exe? : any/c = #f
Packages dir into dist-file. If dist-file has no extension, a file extension is added automatcially (using the first result of bundle-put-file-extension+style+filters).

The created archive contains a directory with the same name as dir – except under Mac OS X when for-exe? is true and dir contains a single a single file or directory, in which case the created disk image contains just the file or directory. The default for for-exe? is #f.

Archive creation fails if dist-file exists.

Returns three values suitable for use as the extension, style, and filters arguments to put-file, respectively to select a distribution-file name.