Conan: "conan search --outdated" shows all packages instead of outdated

[ArekPiekarz]

• [x] I've read the CONTRIBUTING guide.
• [x] I've specified the Conan version, operating system version and any tool that can be relevant.
• [x] I've explained the steps to reproduce the error or the motivation/use case of the question/suggestion.

Summary

conan search --outdated lists all existing packages instead of only outdated ones, contrary to its description in conan search --help, which states "Show only outdated from recipe packages".

Steps to reproduce

• Install some packages, in my case Qt and boost.
• Invoke conan search --outdated
• Expecting nothing to be outdated, but got:

Existing package recipes:

Qt/5.11.1@bincrafters/stable
boost/1.67.0@conan/stable

• Then invoke conan remove --outdated "*"
• Expecting that all packages will be removed because of the previous result, but instead got:

WARN: No matching packages to remove for Qt/5.11.1@bincrafters/stable
WARN: No matching packages to remove for boost/1.67.0@conan/stable

• Invoke conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable
• Expecting Outdated from recipe: True because of the first result, but instead got:
  Outdated from recipe: False

Environment:

Ubuntu 18.04 x64
Conan 1.6.0

[lasote]

The --outdated works only if a specific reference is specified. The commands "search" and "remove" and their help messages have to be fixed. e.g: conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable --outdated

[ArekPiekarz]

I would prefer if conan search --outdated really iterated through all local packages and showed which of them are outdated, without forcing the user to do so manually for each package. Similarly for conan remove --outdated.

Edit: I found that instead of manual checking I can invoke conan search --raw | xargs -i conan search {} --outdated, which is much less readable than conan search --outdatedand still gives strange output (see next comment).

[ArekPiekarz]

The command mentioned by you conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable --outdated also doesn't seem to work correctly. It gives this output:

Existing packages for recipe boost/1.67.0@conan/stable:

There are no packages for reference 'boost/1.67.0@conan/stable', but package recipe found.

But when I do conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable, I get two packages (attached below).
Even if we assume that it was meant to say "There are no outdated packages for reference 'boost/1.67.0@conan/stable'", we still have the second part of the sentence - "but package recipe found". If it was mentioned in this context, it means it has to be outdated. But then the packages themselves also have to be outdated from the recipe, which leads to a contradiction.

$ conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable
Existing packages for recipe boost/1.67.0@conan/stable:

    Package_ID: 6fe944f1a83f19465745274fc281b866d1a8b244
        [options]
            fPIC: True
            header_only: False
            shared: True
            skip_lib_rename: False
            without_atomic: False
            without_chrono: False
            without_container: True
            without_context: True
            without_contract: True
            without_coroutine: True
            without_date_time: False
            without_exception: True
            without_fiber: True
            without_filesystem: False
            without_graph: True
            without_graph_parallel: True
            without_iostreams: True
            without_locale: True
            without_log: False
            without_math: True
            without_mpi: True
            without_program_options: True
            without_python: True
            without_random: True
            without_regex: False
            without_serialization: True
            without_signals: True
            without_stacktrace: True
            without_system: False
            without_test: True
            without_thread: False
            without_timer: True
            without_type_erasure: True
            without_wave: True
        [settings]
            arch: x86_64
            build_type: Release
            compiler: gcc
            compiler.libcxx: libstdc++11
            compiler.version: 8
            os: Linux
        Outdated from recipe: False

    Package_ID: fc7dbb402c20b377d23d0d09244a85e3feccfdfb
        [options]
            fPIC: True
            header_only: False
            shared: True
            skip_lib_rename: False
            without_atomic: False
            without_chrono: False
            without_container: True
            without_context: True
            without_contract: True
            without_coroutine: True
            without_date_time: False
            without_exception: True
            without_fiber: True
            without_filesystem: False
            without_graph: True
            without_graph_parallel: True
            without_iostreams: True
            without_locale: True
            without_log: False
            without_math: True
            without_mpi: True
            without_program_options: True
            without_python: True
            without_random: True
            without_regex: False
            without_serialization: True
            without_signals: True
            without_stacktrace: True
            without_system: False
            without_test: True
            without_thread: False
            without_timer: True
            without_type_erasure: True
            without_wave: True
        [settings]
            arch: x86_64
            build_type: Debug
            compiler: gcc
            compiler.libcxx: libstdc++11
            compiler.version: 8
            os: Linux
        Outdated from recipe: False

[ArekPiekarz]

Sorry, closed by accident.

[lasote]

So, the things to fix are:

• Fix the command help to explain that the --outdated can only be used with a reference.
• Raise in the command.py if --oudated is used without a reference
• Improve the message when conan search boost/1.67.0@conan/stable --outdated that now says: There are no packages for reference 'boost/1.67.0@conan/stable', but package recipe found to say There are no packages oudated packages for reference 'boost/1.67.0@conan/stable'

About modifying how the command works (only for a reference), we are leaving the command as is for now. It could be discussed in a different issue if needed.

[danimtb]

Seems @joechrisellis would be willing to contribute a PR to fix this, wouldn't you?

[joechrisellis]

@danimtb yep! This will be my first PR to conan, just familiarising myself with the contribution guide before I submit a PR. Cheers!

[danimtb]

Merged #3341 that fixes this issue