helix-editor · the-mikedavis · Jan 16, 2025 · Jan 8, 2025 · Jan 10, 2025 · Jan 10, 2025
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -147,14 +147,6 @@ jobs:
         if: "!matrix.skip_tests"
         run: ${{ env.CARGO }} test --release --locked --target ${{ matrix.target }} --workspace
 
-      - name: Set profile.release.strip = true
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          cat >> .cargo/config.toml <<EOF
-          [profile.release]
-          strip = true
-          EOF
-
       - name: Build release binary
         run: ${{ env.CARGO }} build --release --locked --target ${{ matrix.target }}
 
@@ -206,6 +198,17 @@ jobs:
           mv "$APP-$VERSION-$ARCH.AppImage" \
               "$APP-$VERSION-$ARCH.AppImage.zsync" dist
 
+      - name: Build Deb
+        shell: bash
+        if: matrix.build == 'x86_64-linux'
+        run: |
+          cargo install cargo-deb
+          mkdir -p target/release
+          cp target/${{ matrix.target }}/release/hx target/release/
+          cargo deb --no-build
+          mkdir -p dist
+          mv target/debian/*.deb dist/
+
       - name: Build archive
         shell: bash
         run: |
@@ -241,6 +244,7 @@ jobs:
           set -ex
 
           source="$(pwd)"
+          tag=${GITHUB_REF_NAME//\//}
           mkdir -p runtime/grammars/sources
           tar xJf grammars/grammars.tar.xz -C runtime/grammars/sources
           rm -rf grammars
@@ -254,7 +258,7 @@ jobs:
               if [[ $platform =~ "windows" ]]; then
                   exe=".exe"
               fi
-              pkgname=helix-$GITHUB_REF_NAME-$platform
+              pkgname=helix-$tag-$platform
               mkdir -p $pkgname
               cp $source/LICENSE $source/README.md $pkgname
               mkdir $pkgname/contrib
@@ -265,6 +269,7 @@ jobs:
 
               if [[ "$platform" = "x86_64-linux" ]]; then
                   mv bins-$platform/helix-*.AppImage* dist/
+                  mv bins-$platform/*.deb dist/
               fi
 
               if [ "$exe" = "" ]; then
@@ -274,7 +279,7 @@ jobs:
               fi
           done
 
-          tar cJf dist/helix-$GITHUB_REF_NAME-source.tar.xz -C $source .
+          tar cJf dist/helix-$tag-source.tar.xz -C $source .
           mv dist $source/
 
       - name: Upload binaries to release

diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
@@ -21,14 +21,9 @@ default-members = [
 ]
 
 [profile.release]
-lto = "thin"
-# debug = true
-
-[profile.opt]
-inherits = "release"
 lto = "fat"
 codegen-units = 1
-# strip = "debuginfo" # TODO: or strip = true
+strip = true
 opt-level = 3
 
 [profile.integration]

diff --git a/book/src/building-from-source.md b/book/src/building-from-source.md
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ to package the runtime into `/usr/lib/helix/runtime`. The rough steps a build
 script could follow are:
 
 1. `export HELIX_DEFAULT_RUNTIME=/usr/lib/helix/runtime`
-1. `cargo build --profile opt --locked`
+1. `cargo build --release --locked`
 1. `cp -r runtime $BUILD_DIR/usr/lib/helix/`
 1. `cp target/opt/hx $BUILD_DIR/usr/bin/hx`
 
@@ -162,3 +162,39 @@ file. For example, to use `kitty`:
 sed -i "s|Exec=hx %F|Exec=kitty hx %F|g" ~/.local/share/applications/Helix.desktop
 sed -i "s|Terminal=true|Terminal=false|g" ~/.local/share/applications/Helix.desktop
 ```
+
+### Building the Deb package
+
+The `.deb` provided on the release page (built in CI) may use a libc version greater
+than what your Debian / Ubuntu / Mint uses. In this case you can build the `.deb`
+from source and this higher dependency will not apply.
+
+Install `cargo-deb`, the tool we use to build the `.deb`
+
+```sh
+cargo install cargo-deb
+```
+
+After you clone and enter the repository (viz. above), the command bellow will first
+build the release binary, and later package it into the `.deb` file, in one command.
+
+```sh
+cargo deb -- --locked
+```
+
+> 💡 This locks you into the `--release` profile. But you can also build helix in any way you like.
+> As long as you leave a `target/release/hx` file, it will get packaged with `cargo deb --no-build` 
+
+> 💡 Don't worry about the repeated
+> ```
+> warning: Failed to find dependency specification
+> ```
+> warnings. Cargo deb just reports which packaged files it didn't derive dependencies for. But
+> so far the dependency deriving seams very good, even if some of the grammar files are skipped.
+
+You can find the resulted `.deb` in `target/debian/`. It should contain everything it needs, including the
+
+- completions for bash, fish, zsh
+- .desktop file
+- icon (though desktop environments might use their own since the name of the package is correctly `helix`)
+- launcher to the binary with the runtime
diff --git a/book/src/package-managers.md b/book/src/package-managers.md
@@ -23,7 +23,14 @@
 
 The following third party repositories are available:
 
-### Ubuntu
+### Ubuntu/Debian (Deb)
+
+Install the `Deb` package from the release page.
+
+If you run a system older than Ubuntu 22.04 / Mint 21 / Debian 12, you can build the `.deb` package locally
+[from source](https://docs.helix-editor.com/building-from-source.html#building-the-deb-package).
+
+### Ubuntu (PPA)
 
 Add the `PPA` for Helix:
 

diff --git a/contrib/hx_launcher.sh b/contrib/hx_launcher.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+
+HELIX_RUNTIME=/usr/lib/helix/runtime exec /usr/lib/helix/hx "$@"
diff --git a/helix-term/Cargo.toml b/helix-term/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,6 +12,24 @@ categories.workspace = true
 repository.workspace = true
 homepage.workspace = true
 
+[package.metadata.deb]
+# generate a .deb in target/debian/ with the command: cargo deb --no-build
+name = "helix"
+assets = [
+  { source = "target/release/hx", dest = "/usr/lib/helix/", mode = "755" },
+  { source = "../contrib/hx_launcher.sh", dest = "/usr/bin/hx", mode = "755" },
+  { source = "../runtime/*", dest = "/usr/lib/helix/runtime/", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../runtime/grammars/*", dest = "/usr/lib/helix/runtime/grammars/", mode = "644" }, # to avoid sources/
+  { source = "../runtime/queries/**/*", dest = "/usr/lib/helix/runtime/queries/", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../runtime/themes/**/*", dest = "/usr/lib/helix/runtime/themes/", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../README.md", dest = "/usr/share/doc/helix/", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../contrib/completion/hx.bash", dest = "/usr/share/bash-completion/completions/hx", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../contrib/completion/hx.fish", dest = "/usr/share/fish/vendor_completions.d/hx.fish", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../contrib/completion/hx.zsh", dest = "/usr/share/zsh/vendor-completions/_hx", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../contrib/Helix.desktop", dest = "/usr/share/applications/Helix.desktop", mode = "644" },
+  { source = "../contrib/helix.png", dest = "/usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/helix.png", mode = "644" },
+]
+
 [features]
 default = ["git"]
 unicode-lines = ["helix-core/unicode-lines", "helix-view/unicode-lines"]
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
		@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
		#!/usr/bin/env sh

		HELIX_RUNTIME=/usr/lib/helix/runtime exec /usr/lib/helix/hx "$@"