Working with Packages

In AtScale, packages are additional Git repositories whose objects can be used in the current repository. These function similarly to Git submodules, and enable you to share objects between multiple repositories and models.

The packages available to the current repository are defined by the package.yml file. This file contains a list of the repositories you want to use objects from.

The packages themselves appear in the packages/ folder in the Repo Browser. This folder automatically appears when you create a package file, and is automatically populated with the repositories defined in the file.

The following sections describe how to work with packages in AtScale.

Adding packages

To add packages to the current repository:

In the Repo Browser, click the new object button and select package.yml. The package.yml file and packages/ folder appear in the Repo Browser.
Open package.yml for editing and define the repositories you want to use. For more information, see Package.
Click Save File.

The repositories defined in the file are automatically added to the packages/ folder in the Repo Browser.

Working with shared objects

You can browse packages via the Repo Browser as you would any other folder in the repository. You can also open individual objects within the packages for viewing.

Note: Objects in packages are read only: you cannot edit them when working in the current repository. If you need to edit a shared object, you must first switch to the repository and branch it belongs to. After making your changes, be sure to update the version property for the modified package with the appropriate commit ID so that your changes are available in the current repository.

To add an object from a package to a model in the current repository, locate the object within the Repo Browser, click its context menu, and select Add to model. The object is added to the model.

Removing packages

To remove a single package from the current repository, open the package file and delete the reference to that package. When you save the file, the package no longer appears in the packages/ folder.

To remove all packages from the current repository, delete the package file. This automatically removes the entire packages/ folder and its contents from the Repo Browser.