Bug#985459: dh-elpa: install error when root user has packages under /root/.emacs.d/elpa

[David Bremner <david@tethera.net>]

Nick Gasson <nick@nickg.me.uk> writes:

> Hi Sean,
>
> On 03/18/21 18:31 PM, Sean Whitton wrote:
>>
>> Thank you for the report.  Can you test this patch, please?
>>
>> diff --git a/helper/install b/helper/install
>> index 1a2eb8a..af93ee4 100755
>> --- a/helper/install
>> +++ b/helper/install
>> @@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ echo install/${ELPA_DIR}: byte-compiling for ${FLAVOR}
>>  (cd ${elc_dir}
>>   set +e
>>   ${FLAVOR} --quick --batch -l package \
>> +           --eval "(setq package-directory-list \
>> +                         (delete package-user-dir package-directory-list))" \
>>             --eval "(add-to-list 'package-directory-list \"$src_dir\")" \
>>             -f package-initialize -f batch-byte-compile *.el > Install.log 2>&1
>>   if test $? -ne 0
>
> I've just tried this but unfortunately I get the same error. I think
> it's because package-load-all-descriptors in package.el always cons-es
> package-user-dir on the front of package-directory-list when it searches
> for a package

Setting user-package-dir to a nonexistent directory also seems to
work. Nick, can you try the dh-elpa version at
https://salsa.debian.org/emacsen-team/dh-elpa ? Or just apply

https://salsa.debian.org/emacsen-team/dh-elpa/-/commit/600a1133903eb2f7d3b7d954467dcee0b2d0277b

to /usr/lib/dh-elpa/helper/install

Some possible alternatives:

1) maybe Sean remembers the proposed convention for a known empty
directory? Is this usable in stable?

2) We could create and clean up an empty temporary directory

3) We could create /usr/lib/dh-elpa/empty