Attempting to compile a field guide to the darcs source code. Please explain stuff and fill this page in.

Code hierarchy

Did you know we have API documentation too? See http://darcs.net/api-doc or combined with hoogle http://joyful.com/repos/darcs-unstable/api-doc

• src - generic code, could likely be spun off (see Projects)
• Darcs.UI - the outer shell of darcs, its user interface
• Darcs.Repository - what goes on in _darcs , for example prefs
• Darcs.Patch - properties of patches, how they commute, etc (see Patches)
• Darcs.Util - general darcs-y stuff

High level documentation

Overview of commands:

• darcs record

Big picture notes:

• complexity of various operations

Repository internals:

• Repository: inside of _darcs
• RepoFormat
• Hashes
• HashedPristine
• NamedPatch - how do patches look like inside? how do those hashes get computed?
• Dates - how does Darcs handle dates?
• The infamous pending patch stub
• (See also the optimisations below)

Internal subsystems/concepts

Key patch theory concepts

• Patch theory
• Commuting
• Conflictors - darcs 2 conflict representation
• PrimsV3

More internal concepts

• (Colour)Printers

• ConflictMarking

• Selecting patches

  • Patch selection
  • Calculating patch dependencies
  • see especially Tommy’s ball-on-wire explanation that follows
  • Pending patch and sifting

Optimisations

• Lazy repositories
• Timestamp index
• Caches system
• Patch index
• Packs

Quality assurance

• Type witnesses
• UnitTests

See also

• Glossary
• Development FAQ
• PatchTheory