Chestnut Package Manager is a utility to handle executables and resource files in a transparent, platform independent and relocatable way.

Chestnut Package Manager is a simple command line utility to improve the handling of programs and files. Suppose you are a very ordered person, and you would like to keep different programs in different directories. 

If you are a UNIX fellow, you will probably know that you will have to specify each directory in the PATH variable to make them reachable by simple invocation. An alternative is to specify every time the absolute path of the executable, but this is boring.

Chestnut allows you to reach the program quickly, and most important, if you move the program somewhere else, you can easily make it work without too much hassle. You can consider it like a PATH on steroids.

The application consists of a Python library and three executables:
· a runner, cnrun, which runs executables identified by the package name, the version and the entry point
· a path resolver, cnpath, which returns the absolute path of a resource given the same identification as above
· a lister, cnls, which provides a list of the packages available, and detailed information about their contents

The application solves the following problems:
· it is possible to invoke programs or obtain resources without knowledge of their absolute or relative path, making them accessible even after relocation of the package into another directory
· allows to bundle related executables and resources together into a logical container: the package
· allows pre-wrapping of executables in a transparent way
· allows very accurate control on the executed version
· allows to use the same package to store multiple platform-dependent executables or resources. The package can then be shared on NFS and the proper executable will be used honoring the platform.

Chestnut's concept is similar to Java archives and Apple bundles. It is implemented in Python.

NOTE: Chestnut is developed and licensed under the terms of the GNU Library or Lesser General Public License (LGPL),

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· added support for compressed .nutz files
· CN_PACKAGE_SEARCH_PATH has been added. it is checked before PACKAGE_SEARCH_PATH, which will be made deprecated at a later stage.
· added .chestnut directory extension for packages (instead of .package, which will be made deprecated at a later stage)
· The variables CN_ROOT_DIR, CN_ENTRY_POINT and CN_RUN_ARCH are now exported when a package is run. CN_ROOT_DIR supersedes PACKAGE_ROOT_DIR
· cnls: added option -e to print all entry points for the packages
· added autocompletion script for bash