static_filename - directories, lifetime

[encukou]

Two questions about static_filename that aren't clear from the docs:

• Is it supposed to work on directories?
• For how long can I use the result reliably? (When can the file be garbage-collected or overwritten?)

[mikicz]

• I wasn't originally intending it to work on directories, but from a simple look, it seems it might work? It just concats the location where it was cloned and the provided relative path and checking that it's still inside the repo, so could work.
• Hm... Now that's interesting. Do you mean like how long before Arca deletes the file? That would be until a pull is performed and the file is deleted in the new commits, but obviously the file can change underneath... So when single pull is disabled, in theory on each static_filename call there could be a new file there if there are new commits every time...

[encukou]

• I wasn't originally intending it to work on directories, but from a simple look, it seems it might work? It just concats the location where it was cloned and the provided relative path and checking that it's still inside the repo, so could work.

It currently mostly works. But is this something I can rely on? Should I write a test for static_filename(..., '.')? Can I rely on static_filename(...).parent containing a file's siblings?

• Hm... Now that's interesting. Do you mean like how long before Arca deletes the file? That would be until a pull is performed and the file is deleted in the new commits, but obviously the file can change underneath... So when single pull is disabled, in theory on each static_filename call there could be a new file there if there are new commits every time...

I'm not looking for analysis of the current behavior, but for an interface specification. Something I can rely on when building on top of Arca; something we both agree shouldn't break in newer versions.
(Ideally it'd also be documented and tested, but that can come later.) (And hopefully it'll be some simple rule, so the current and future implementations are easy to check.)

Right now I'm not sure what the lifetime is intended to be. Until the next call to Arca?

[mikicz]

It currently mostly works. But is this something I can rely on? Should I write a test for static_filename(..., '.')? Can I rely on static_filename(...).parent containing a file's siblings?

Yes, I think you should be able to rely on that. Arca's not messing around with the structure of the repository, so yes, static_filename(...).parent should contain the siblings.

Right now I'm not sure what the lifetime is intended to be. Until the next call to Arca?

When single_pull is enabled than the lifetime is until a new pull (triggered by either a new init of Arca or by calling the method), otherwise the lifetime is until next call of static_filename or run (since either can trigger a new pull -> files can change)