[aur-dev] Handling deletion through the web interface.

[Peter Lewis]

Hi folks,

As I said in my TU application, I want to get involved in trying to grease the 
wheels of the AUR a little. So, I'm proposing as a first step that we allow 
(prefer? require?) deletion requests to be handled through the web interface.

The main aim of this is to try to standardise the process and information 
available in the messages (and therefore archived on aur-general) concerning 
AUR deletion requests. For example, messages like this are now somewhat 
meaningless (no offence to the author or anyone else intended):


Subject: [aur-general] Delete and orphan request
   
Hi, can somebody delete the following packages:

1) http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=38923 - my mistake, error in
package name, replacement here
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39067

2) http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=17379 and
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=36306 - they duplicate this package
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=5790

3) http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=28544 - this is version from
previous developer of Onscripter-en

4) http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8242 - already included in
community

etc. etc.




The basic idea is this:

1) Any user can click a button to propose a package for deletion. This flags 
that package as having been proposed, and triggers an email to aur-general and 
the package maintainer, containing the name of the package and a link to it.

2) TUs and others can discuss the deletion request on aur-general as before.

3) When a decision is made, a TU can then either delete the package, or else 
cancel the deletion proposal, also on the web interface.

Once a package is proposed for deletion, no-one else can also propose it 
(until / unless the request is cancelled by a TU), so aur-general doesn't get 
more than one email.

I'll forward the patches to this list for review.

This is just the first bit of this implementation (it's pretty basic). Still 
to do (IMO) is:

- Include a form for the proposer of the deletion to write a few words about 
why it should be deleted.

- Place information about a package's current "proposed for deletion" status 
in prominent places on the web interface.

- Also email everyone who has asked to be notified about the package.

Cheers,

Pete.

PS. Note that it also requires a small database schema change.