Elpaca: Exploring a New Emacs Package Manager

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Benefits

Installs packages asynchronously

Can install multiple packages at the same time

Install packages from original source

Provides a user-friendly interface to help one find and manage packages easily

Comes with support for thousands of packages by default, including popular sources like MELPA, NonGNU/GNU ELPA, and Org/org-contrib

Makes it simple for users to create their own package repositories, known as ELPAs. This can be handy if you're creating and sharing your own packages.

Install very latest packages: Test

https://sachachua.com/blog/category/emacs-news/

To install

Add a line to early-init.el

(setq package-enable-at-startup nil)

Get information about installed packages from init.el

'(package-selected-packages
  '(dired-launch nov vertico restart-emacs counsel visual-regexp swiper python-mode org-babel-eval-in-repl lorem-ipsum persistent-scratch pdf-tools ag 0blayout all-the-icons-dired all-the-icons nerd-icons-dired bbww devil diminish helm multiple-cursors github-dark-vscode-theme color-theme-modern yasnippet yaml-mode use-package unfill markdown-mode))

Remove all package.el related code in your init file

(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
	     '("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/"))
(package-initialize)

(defvar elpaca-installer-version 0.4)
(defvar elpaca-directory (expand-file-name "elpaca/" user-emacs-directory))
(defvar elpaca-builds-directory (expand-file-name "builds/" elpaca-directory))
(defvar elpaca-repos-directory (expand-file-name "repos/" elpaca-directory))
(defvar elpaca-order '(elpaca :repo "https://github.com/progfolio/elpaca.git"
      :ref nil
      :files (:defaults (:exclude "extensions"))
      :build (:not elpaca--activate-package)))
(let* ((repo  (expand-file-name "elpaca/" elpaca-repos-directory))
 (build (expand-file-name "elpaca/" elpaca-builds-directory))
 (order (cdr elpaca-order))
 (default-directory repo))
  (add-to-list 'load-path (if (file-exists-p build) build repo))
  (unless (file-exists-p repo)
    (make-directory repo t)
    (when (< emacs-major-version 28) (require 'subr-x))
    (condition-case-unless-debug err
  (if-let ((buffer (pop-to-buffer-same-window "*elpaca-bootstrap*"))
     ((zerop (call-process "git" nil buffer t "clone"
         (plist-get order :repo) repo)))
     ((zerop (call-process "git" nil buffer t "checkout"
         (or (plist-get order :ref) "--"))))
     (emacs (concat invocation-directory invocation-name))
     ((zerop (call-process emacs nil buffer nil "-Q" "-L" "." "--batch"
         "--eval" "(byte-recompile-directory \".\" 0 'force)")))
     ((require 'elpaca))
     ((elpaca-generate-autoloads "elpaca" repo)))
      (kill-buffer buffer)
    (error "%s" (with-current-buffer buffer (buffer-string))))
((error) (warn "%s" err) (delete-directory repo 'recursive))))
  (unless (require 'elpaca-autoloads nil t)
    (require 'elpaca)
    (elpaca-generate-autoloads "elpaca" repo)
    (load "./elpaca-autoloads")))
(add-hook 'after-init-hook #'elpaca-process-queues)
(elpaca `(,@elpaca-order))

Persistent packages

If you want the packages you install with Elpaca to be available every time you start Emacs, not just in the current session, you need to use the Elpaca macro in your init.el file. This needs to be done after you have added the code that installs Elpaca itself.

;; Use-package support
;; Install use-package support
(elpaca elpaca-use-package
  ;; Enable :elpaca use-package keyword.
  (elpaca-use-package-mode)
  ;; Assume :elpaca t unless otherwise specified.
  (setq elpaca-use-package-by-default t))

;; Block until current queue processed.
(elpaca-wait)

Examples of how a use-package config would change with Elpaca:

Here are a few examples of how my use-package config would change if I switch from package.el to Elpaca:

  (use-package whisper
    :elpaca nil ;; ADDED because it installs from a local load path
    :load-path "/home/red/Source/whisper.el"
    :bind ("M-s r" . whisper-run)
    :config
    (setq whisper-model "base"
    whisper-language "en"
    whisper-translate nil)
    (setq whisper-arecord-device "hw:2,0")
    (setq whisper-arecord-args '("-f" "cd" "-c" "1")))

;;; Ag the Silver Searcher
(use-package ag
  :elpaca t
  :config
  (setq ag-ignore-list
  '("rmail"
    "history"
    "elpa"
    "cache"
    "backups"
    "eshell"
    "OMNIVERSE.org"
    "*~"
    "acme/"
    "Downloads/"
    "Desktop/everyone.txt"
    "EMACS-INFO.md"
    "LINUX.md"
    "emacs.d/history(1).txt"
    "backups"))
  (setq ag-highlight-search t))

Note: Because we want to set elpaca-use-package-by-default t, we need not add :elpaca t

Note: Be careful with the order of the packages. Some packages might depend on others to be installed first.

Note: If you want elpaca not to manage a specific package, you would declare it as follows:

(use-package some-package :elpaca nil)

The elpaca ui mode

Elpaca has a UI mode available for managing packages. The mode allows special keys for accessing certain commands. The main entry points to the UI are the

elpaca-manager
elpaca-log
elpaca-status

These commands are also available in the regular manner when not in elpaca-ui-mode via M-x + command.

elpaca-try – "try out" a package by installing it for the current Emacs session only
elpaca-update-all – update all installed packages in your Emacs configuration
elpaca-rebuild
elpaca-delete
elpaca-log
elpaca-status
elpaca-visit
elpaca-browse

Trying packages for the session

elpaca-manager

s – to search
#unique #!installed (=not installed) "projectile"

i – mark for install
x – to install

Installing packages using provided recipes

elpaca-manager

elpaca-info

elpaca-recipe

Copy recipe information

My configuration with examples

;; Elpaca
(defvar elpaca-installer-version 0.4)
(defvar elpaca-directory (expand-file-name "elpaca/" user-emacs-directory))
(defvar elpaca-builds-directory (expand-file-name "builds/" elpaca-directory))
(defvar elpaca-repos-directory (expand-file-name "repos/" elpaca-directory))
(defvar elpaca-order '(elpaca :repo "https://github.com/progfolio/elpaca.git"
      :ref nil
      :files (:defaults (:exclude "extensions"))
      :build (:not elpaca--activate-package)))
(let* ((repo  (expand-file-name "elpaca/" elpaca-repos-directory))
 (build (expand-file-name "elpaca/" elpaca-builds-directory))
 (order (cdr elpaca-order))
 (default-directory repo))
  (add-to-list 'load-path (if (file-exists-p build) build repo))
  (unless (file-exists-p repo)
    (make-directory repo t)
    (when (< emacs-major-version 28) (require 'subr-x))
    (condition-case-unless-debug err
  (if-let ((buffer (pop-to-buffer-same-window "*elpaca-bootstrap*"))
     ((zerop (call-process "git" nil buffer t "clone"
         (plist-get order :repo) repo)))
     ((zerop (call-process "git" nil buffer t "checkout"
         (or (plist-get order :ref) "--"))))
     (emacs (concat invocation-directory invocation-name))
     ((zerop (call-process emacs nil buffer nil "-Q" "-L" "." "--batch"
         "--eval" "(byte-recompile-directory \".\" 0 'force)")))
     ((require 'elpaca))
     ((elpaca-generate-autoloads "elpaca" repo)))
      (kill-buffer buffer)
    (error "%s" (with-current-buffer buffer (buffer-string))))
((error) (warn "%s" err) (delete-directory repo 'recursive))))
  (unless (require 'elpaca-autoloads nil t)
    (require 'elpaca)
    (elpaca-generate-autoloads "elpaca" repo)
    (load "./elpaca-autoloads")))
(add-hook 'after-init-hook #'elpaca-process-queues)
(elpaca `(,@elpaca-order))

;; Block until current queue processed.
(elpaca-wait)

;; Installed packages
(elpaca yasnippet)
(elpaca pdf-tools)
(elpaca (projectile :host github :repo "bbatsov/projectile"))
(elpaca (whisper :fetcher github :repo "natrys/whisper.el" :branch "master"))
(elpaca (nov :fetcher github :repo "wasamasa/nov.el" :branch "master"))
(elpaca (markdown-mode (:package "markdown-mode" :protocol https :inherit t :depth 1 :fetcher github :repo "jrblevin/markdown-mode" :files ("*.el" "*.el.in" "dir" "*.info" "*.texi" "*.texinfo" "doc/dir" "doc/*.info" "doc/*.texi" "doc/*.texinfo" "lisp/*.el" (:exclude ".dir-locals.el" "test.el" "tests.el" "*-test.el" "*-tests.el" "LICENSE" "README*" "*-pkg.el")))))
(elpaca (rainbow-delimiters (:package "rainbow-delimiters" :protocol https :inherit t :depth 1 :fetcher github :repo "Fanael/rainbow-delimiters" :files ("*.el" "*.el.in" "dir" "*.info" "*.texi" "*.texinfo" "doc/dir" "doc/*.info" "doc/*.texi" "doc/*.texinfo" "lisp/*.el" (:exclude ".dir-locals.el" "test.el" "tests.el" "*-test.el" "*-tests.el" "LICENSE" "README*" "*-pkg.el")))))
(elpaca (spacious-padding (:package "spacious-padding" :protocol https :inherit t :depth 1 :host github :files ("*" (:exclude ".git")) :repo "emacs-straight/spacious-padding")))

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