Warn quoted component name

[leana8959]

• Patches conform to the coding conventions.
• Any changes that could be relevant to users have been recorded in the changelog.
  • Is the change significant? If so, remember to add significance: significant in the changelog file.
• The documentation has been updated, if necessary.
• Manual QA notes have been included.
• Tests have been added. (Ask for help if you don’t know how to write them! Ask for an exemption if tests are too complex for too little coverage!)

[ffaf1]

Thanks!

[jappeace]

The warning here will tell users to stop doing this in their own development environment (effectively deprecating it).

I suggest we make cabal check error on quoted components so that we at least aren't allowed to upload new packages with quotes to hackage.

[leana8959]

According to the deprecation process, I would only be able to add the warning in the N+1 release?

[zlonast]

LLM said:

The deprecation process is for working features we plan to remove — it warns in N+1 after introducing an alternative in N. A quoted name with spaces was never referencable in build-depends or the CLI, so warning about it is just a diagnostic and can go in now.

But the warning currently fires on every quoted name, including harmless ones like library "quoted" in the test — and the code comment says "are to be removed". Removing quoted names without spaces would be a real deprecation. I'd scope the warning to names that actually contain a space (that's the case people need the warning for), and drop the "to be removed" wording.

[leana8959]

I think we should discuss further regarding how to do the warning.

To resume:

• (jappie) only in cabal check, warn every quoted component name
• (me) during parsing, warn every quoted component name

@zlonast What's your opinion on this? During parsing but only warn quoted component names with spaces?

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The deprecation process is for working features we plan to remove

I read the deprecation process document. It doesn't specify working features. Could you point me to it?

it warns in N+1 after introducing an alternative in N.

If I understand correctly, N is the current release, N+1 is the next one. If we were to merge my patch, that would warn in N and not N+1. This is why I asked if my patch is the right approach, given the deprecation process and the fact that I have two approvals.

A quoted name with spaces was never referencable in build-depends or the CLI, so warning about it is just a diagnostic and can go in now.
But the warning currently fires on every quoted name, including harmless ones like library "quoted" in the test — and the code comment says "are to be removed". Removing quoted names without spaces would be a real deprecation. I'd scope the warning to names that actually contain a space (that's the case people need the warning for), and drop the "to be removed" wording.

This will be discussed, as we clearly haven't reached a consensus on how to remove this misfeature.
I would like to see the quotes to no longer allowed as well, as they bear no extra meaning in this context and there are only 78 of them on hackage.

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On a personal note:

The LLM response is undermining my desire to contribute to Cabal in my personal time. It is disrespectful because it removes the human element from the process. I appreciate the time you take to review my PR, and I kindly ask you to not respond to me by citing LLM generated output.

[zlonast]

I think we can merge this now and just wait for two more releases.

Release N is 3.18.0.0 (Include deprecation notice in the changelog)
Release N + 1 is 3.20.0.0 (Show a warning when the command is used)
Release N + 2 is 3.22.0.0 (Remove code) or wait more
Release N + 3 is 3.24.0.0 (Remove code)

If we interpret the N release as 3.20.0.0, then I'm not sure why we need to warn only through the changelog, which few people read.

I think since the alternative functionality already exists, we are not interested in step N as 3.20.0.0.

Release N is old (Introduce alternative)
Release N + 1 is 3.20.0.0 (Alternative is recommended)
Release N + 2 is 3.22.0.0 (Alternative implements the old interface when applicable)
Release N + 3 is 3.24.0.0 (Alternative takes over)