Source Distributions
####################

A *source distribution* is ``dds``'s primary format for consuming and
distributing packages. A source distribution, in essence, is a
:ref:`package root <pkgs.pkg-root>` archive that contains only the files
necessary for ``dds`` to reproduce the full build of all libraries in the
package. The source distribution retains the directory structure of every
:ref:`source root <pkgs.source-root>` of the original package, and thus retains
the header structure thereof. In this way, the ``#include`` directives to use a
library in a source distribution are identical to if the libraries therein were
directly part of the consuming project.


Generating a Source Distribution
********************************

Generating a source distribution from a project directory is done with the
``sdist`` subcommand::

> dds sdist create

The above command can be executed within a package root, and the result will be
a gzip'd tar archive that reproduces the package's filesystem structure, but
only maintaining the files that are necessary for ``dds`` to reproduce a build
of that package.

The ``--project=<dir>`` flag can be provided to override the directory that
``dds`` will use as the package root. The default is the working directory of
the project.

The ``--out=<path>`` flag can be provided to override the destination path of
the archive. The path should not name an existing file or directory. By default,
``dds`` will generate a source distribution in the working directory with the
pattern ``<name>@<version>.tar.gz``. If the ``--replace`` flag is provided,
then ``dds`` will overwrite the destination if it names an existing file or
directory.


Importing a Source Ditsribution
*******************************

Given a source distribution archive, one can import the package into the local
repository with a single command::

> dds repo import some-package@1.2.3.tar.gz