pub version.dart as a general purpose semantic versioning library

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/654526?v=3" align="left" width="96" height="96"hspace="10"> Issue by financeCoding
Originally opened as dart-lang/sdk#18555

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/654526?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by financeCoding

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Added Area-Pub label.
Changed the title to: "pub version.dart as a general purpose semantic versioning library ".

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/17034?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by kevmoo

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Removed Type-Defect, Area-Pub labels.
Added Type-Enhancement, Area-Pkg, Triaged labels.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/188?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by nex3

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Pub's semantic versioning implementation follows version 2.0.0-rc.1 of the spec, which is not the most recent version. We have good reasons for doing so in Pub, but it seems weird to create a semantic versioning package that doesn't use an up-to-date version of the spec.

What's your use case for wanting to use this?

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cc @munificent.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/654526?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by financeCoding

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I use that file to help sort versions of pub packages. I'm not aware of any semantic versioning libraries on pub, since this is specific to pubspec files I think that doubles the need for it to be available as a general purpose library. I guess a full solution would be to have pub in general as a library.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5479?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by sethladd

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Any issues calling the package and library pub_versioning or similar?

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/46275?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by munificent

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Yeah, I've thought about pulling this into a package for a while, but Nathan's concern is mine too. I really think semver 2.0.0-rc.1 has better semantics, but it would feel a bit strange making a "semver" or "version" package that relied on that implicitly.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5479?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by sethladd

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Adam, did we copy that code over to our dartdocs hosting project?

Bob, Nathan, is it an issue of naming the package? Can we name it/describe it such that expectations are set correctly and no one is mislead?

Or, maybe we can import pub/version.dart ? :)

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/46275?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by munificent

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Bob, Nathan, is it an issue of naming the package?

Not so much naming as identity. If it's a "pub versioning" package, then its semantics are clear, but it's less widely usable. (Lots of things that aren't pub deal with versions!) If it's a "semver" package, then it's widely usable, but it's behavior may be surprising.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5479?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by sethladd

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Gotcha, makes sense. Agree, we don't want to call this semver.

Is there a middle ground here, to offer the ability to import "pub/version.dart" from a pub package? That way, we don't need to maintain a separate package just for version.dart, but we do make it easier for developers to build mashups and work with our packages.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/654526?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by financeCoding

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I've just copied it over, also not the first thing I've found valuable hidden inside pub ;)

I'm fine with copying until something general gets produced.

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<img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/46275?v=3" align="left" width="48" height="48"hspace="10"> Comment by munificent

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Is there a middle ground here, to offer the ability to import "pub/version.dart" from a pub package? That way, we don't need to maintain a separate package just for version.dart,

No, it would have to be a package. I wouldn't mind something like that, but until we have time to think about it more (like, should other stuff be in there too and if so, does that affect the name of the package?), the easiest solution is to just copy it. :-/

not the first thing I've found valuable hidden inside pub ;)

We actually try to pull a lot of that stuff out into packages (watcher, barback, path, scheduled_test, http, oauth2, etc.) What else have you found that you would want in a package that isn't already?