patch-dl

Summary

patch-dl adds two ices — dl and patch — that download extra files from URLs and apply unified-diff patches during plugin installation, enabling source-build recipes that require external patches.

Details

• Problem it solves: Some plugins or source packages require additional files (patches, config files) that are not part of their repository. Fetching and applying them manually before building breaks reproducibility; dl and patch embed those steps directly into the Zinit invocation.

• New ices:

  • dl'{URL} [-> {output-filename}];' — downloads the file at {URL} into the plugin/snippet directory; if no output filename is given, the last URL segment is used; multiple downloads can be separated by ;
  • patch'{patch-file}; …' — applies the named patch file (already present in the directory, e.g., downloaded via dl) using patch; multiple patches separated by ;

• Install:

  zinit light zdharma-continuum/zinit-annex-patch-dl

Examples

# Build fbterm from source, downloading and applying two required patches
zinit ice \
    as"command" \
    atclone"./configure --prefix=$ZPFX" \
    atpull"%atclone" \
    dl"https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/0001-Fix-build-with-gcc-6.patch?h=fbterm-git" \
    dl"https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/46860?getfile=13513 -> ins.patch" \
    make"install" \
    patch"ins.patch; 0001-Fix-build-with-gcc-6.patch" \
    pick"$ZPFX/bin/fbterm" \
    reset
zinit load izmntuk/fbterm

Caveats / Common Mistakes

• Patches must be downloaded with dl (or otherwise placed in the plugin directory) before referencing them in patch; the order of ice evaluation is dl then patch.
• File download uses the last URL path segment as the default name; use -> filename when the URL has a query string or an unhelpful name.