Installing the Redmine Backlogs plugin

[btomasini]

Juanje,

I have done some work on a recipe for the Redmine Backlogs Plugin here: https://github.com/btomasini/cookbook-redmine/tree/backlogs. Right now it only supports the source installation of Redmine.

Do you think that installation of plugins belongs in this cookbook, or in a separate cookbook? If you think it belongs in this cookbook, and you are interested, I can work on finishing up the work and submitting a pull request.

Thanks,

Ben

[pbchase]

This is a good question. I too would like my redmine plugins to be installed via chef. I was unsure how to go about it as I am very new to chef.

If there were an example chef cookbook for redmine plugins I'd be happy to make a few, but I would need them to integrate with redmine as installed via this cookbook. My guess is that would require sharing a few common attribute values, but little more.

Philip

[juanje]

I truly sorry for the late answer :-(
I got some issues with my Internet provider...

Anyways, this is really a good question and I was worndering myself what is the right answer a while ago.
Actually, @btomasini, I had seen your code weeks ago and I was thinking about talking with you.

I had two ideas and I'm not sure what is the best one:

• Install plugins from a cookbook and have a (kinf of) template cookbook for them.
• Create a LWRP for install and uninstall plugins in this cookbook to be used by others.

Actually, both could be combined...

I'd prefer not to add the plugins to this cookbook because could overcomplicate the cookbook and it could be a botleneck for the plugins to be added.

The reason I'm not sure about the LWRP is that (at least the plugins I know) not all the plugins need the same steps to be installed. But, I think it would be nice to hace one. It would simplify a lot the creation of cookbooks for plugins.

I don't know, this is kind of brainstorming. What do you think about guys?

[pbchase]

I really think the plugins should be separate from the redmine cookbook. Modularity is better.

As to what a plugin needs to install, I've been testing RM plugins these past two weeks and wrote 4 plugin install scripts in bash. There is a standard mantra they all require, but some need more. Some need lots more.

An LWRP or a template could make it easy to do the simple ones. A template would be useful as a starting point for the complicated ones.

[btomasini]

Thanks for the responses.

The main advantages of having them in one cookbook are (1) a "one stop shop" for redmine and popular plugins, and (2) a simpler development model when the plugin requires changes to the main redmine recipes.

Neither of these reasons are terribly compelling. I am fine separating out the backlogs plugin into a separate cookbook project.