Exposing folders of files without specifying each of them individually

snapcraft
1

Is there a way to expose a directory, containing static libraries files or document other than specifying every one if the files? Example, for a software repo that has this structure:

program
  +---- myProgram          # expose as /usr/bin/myProgram using snapcraft command
  |
  +---- vendors/           # expose as /libs/myProgramLib for its descendants
         +---- companyA
         |       +---- data.txt
         +---- companyB    # automatically exposed as /libs/myProgramLib/companyB
         |       +---- data.txt     # exposed as /libs/myProgramLib/companyB/data
         +---- companyC
                 +---- data.txt

I’m aware one way is to “tar” the vendors folder and have a single command to “untar” it to the /libs/myProgramLib, however, I have a feeling that this is a hackish way of doing things. Those files are static non-executable files mainly for read.

The reason for exposing a single folder is mainly to isolate each companies from mangling with the snapcraft.yaml each time anyone of them adds a data file, which has the tendency to disrupt the build process.

Attempts

Snapcraft doesn’t allow exposing a folder as a command. It will return the following error in particular:

...
IsADirectoryError: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '[targeted_command]'
2

Once those files are in the snap you reference them with $SNAP as a prefix: $SNAP/path/inside/snap. Getting those files into the snap is part of your build process, so you could for example use the dump plugin to copy the files verbatim.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the guide! I’ll run a test using the dump plugin. Quick question, from user standpoint, will they see the data file, say companyB as

$SNAP/path/inside/snap

or

/libs/myProgramLib/companyB/data

based on the example?

4

If your build process puts the files in libs/myProgramLib then that’s where you reference them from. If your build process puts the files elsewhere then you reference them in that location instead.

5

I managed to implement $SNAP environment variable within the command application and implemented the dump plugin. Pretty cool one. Basically, the myProgram can read the contents insides its own snap using $SNAP.

What about exposing the vendors folder like a command? I want to let user access and read the data files inside those sub-directories, without specifically create command pointing to each data.txt file?

Or am I missing something?

6

Do you mean access the files from outside the snap, or do you mean access the files from a different snap?

For accessing from outside, the files are all viewable (but not writable!) at /snap/<snapname>/current/....

To access the files from another snap you can use the content interface by defining a slot which tells snapd which directory to expose:

slots:
  vendors-slot: # this is arbitrary
    content: vendors # this is the name a plug connects to
    read:
    - $SNAP/vendors # this is the folder you want to provide read access to

Note that files in $SNAP are readonly due to snap filesystems being immutable because they use squashfs as the backing file format.

7

Outside the snap for user, apart from poking into the snap body like the one you mentioned. E.g. User can do:

$ cat /libs/myProgramLib/companyB/data.txt      # for $SNAP/vendors/companyB/data.txt

Read access is sufficient. Is this type of export possible?