Vcpkg: Why is the key in VCPkg Manifest called version-string instead of version?

[pratikpc]

https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg/blob/master/docs/specifications/manifests.md

In most such Package Managers, such as NPM, the term used is version and not version-string

So I was somewhat curious as to what led to this design choice?

[NancyLi1013]

Hi @pratikpc
Sorry for the delay.

In fact, it is just a name, which has no specific meaning. Since this is a string, we called it version-string.

Please see this here.

One (and only one) of the following version fields:
"version-string": A string. Has no semantic meaning. Equivalent to CONTROL's Version: field.
Other version fields will be defined by the Versions RFC

[pratikpc]

@NancyLi1013 hey a delay is absolutely fine
It's not like anything in production was held up.

I was just wondering why they didn't end up calling it version like NPM and Cargo
I thought adding -string to version was due to technical reasons or because version was already being used for something else.

Or there was some Raymond Chen esque story waiting to pop up

[NancyLi1013]

@strega-nil
Could you please help comment something about this question?

[strega-nil]

@pratikpc we have plans to use the name of the version key as a way to disambiguate the type of versions a library is using; for example:

• "version" -- a semver-like version, (number).(number).(number)...
• "date" -- a date, 2020-09-28
• "version-string" -- a string without real meaning, that cannot be ordered.

etc.

[pratikpc]

@strega-nil that is actually smart

One version for the public to perform updates

Another for internal purposes to track build numbers etc and other stuff!

Can we update the docs to mention this?

[strega-nil]

Well, the idea is that only one of these three fields would be set; port-version is supposed to be used for changes that don't change the version of the underlying library.

[pratikpc]

Thank you

This resolves my confusion