Portfile autoupdate: is it possible to setup GitHub actions to avoid manual updates

[esbugz]

I've read the guide on creating and updating portfiles, but didn't find anything re. the question of autoupdates: if I add a new port for an app, is there a way to avoid the chore of manually bumping the app's version every time it's updated?

[kencu (Ken)]

macports does not as yet have this automated, although it’s 100% possible to do so.

homebrew for example has a github action that runs every night checking for updates

​https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/master/.github/workflows/autobump.yml

and a script that then generates a pr for the update if there is one

​https://github.com/Homebrew/brew/blob/master/Library/Homebrew/dev-cmd/bump-formula-pr.rb

a human then needs to validate the actual update.

[esbugz]

For the last step you also don't need a human as you can set up automerge once the checks have been completed (though not sure how Homebrew's central repo handles it, maybe they require one)

[kencu (Ken)]

Although it would be very easy to automatically push it through, they purposefully don't set up automerge so wreckage doesn't get pushed.

Someone needs to verify all the dependant ports of a library still build with the update, for example.

also automatable, for someone with unlimited time and budget.

MacPorts expects someone to read the release notes to see if the ABI broke. Etc.

[esbugz]

Yeah, libraries are definitely more complicated, but then there are also plenty of "end-user" apps, so would be great to just do the work once during the manifest creation and then not worry about it (until the auto build breaks)

Also, it's not only about the central repo with more stringent rules, but maybe also a custom port like you'd do with Homebrew casks or formulas with non-supported flags.

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

This wouldn't be a base feature. More of a CI/buildbot feature request.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

We don't have automated port updates because we want at least one human to verify that a new version of a port builds and works before publishing it to users.