[armedbear-devel] JAR file support now in trunk [svn r12422]

[Mark Evenson]

The extensively reworked new implementation for specifiying jar
pathnames has now been merged to trunk as [svn r12422][1].

[1]: http://trac.common-lisp.net/armedbear/changeset/12422

Excerpts from the commit message:

Pathname namestrings that have the form "jar:URL!/ENTRY" now construct
references to the ENTRY within a jar file that is located by URL.  The
most common use is the "file:" form of URL
(e.g. 'jar:file:/home/me/foo.jar!/foo.lisp') although any valid syntax
accepted by the java.net.URL constructor should work (such as
'jar:http://abcl-dynamic-install.googlecode.com/files/baz.jar!/a/b/eek.lisp').

The internal structure of a jar pathname has changed.  Previously a
pathname with a DEVICE that was itself a pathname referenced a jar.
This convention was not able to simultaneously represent bothjar
entries that were themselves jar files as occurs with packed FASLs
within JARs and devices which refer to drive letters under Windows.
Now, a pathname which refers to a jar has a DEVICE which is a proper
list of at most two entries.  The first entry always references the
"outer jar", and the second entry (if it exists) references the "inner
jar".  Casual users are encouraged not to manipulate the "internal
structure" of jar pathname by setting its DEVICE directly, but instead
rely on namestring <--> pathname conversions.

Jar pathnames are only currently valid for use with LOAD, TRUENAME,
PROBE-FILE and pathname translation related functions (such as
MERGE-PATHNAMES, TRANSLATE-PATHNAME, etc.)  Passing one to OPEN
currently signals an error.  Jar pathnames do not currently work
with DIRECTORY or PROBE-DIRECTORY.

Jar pathnames work for ASDF systems packaged within JARs.  We override
ASDF:LOAD-OP to load ASDF from JAR Pathnames by bypassing compilation
if the output location would be in a JAR file.  Interaction with
ASDF-BINARY-LOCATIONS is currently untested.

Pathname now used as the basis of ABCL's internal routines for loading
FASLs replacing the use of strings, which simplifies a lot of the
behavior in looking for things to LOAD.


-- 
"A screaming comes across the sky.  It has happened before, but there
is nothing to compare to it now."