workaround for the Nix madness

README.md

@@ -38,6 +38,21 @@ or:
 ```
 stack install
 ```
+Note that if you are unlucky to have Cabal 3.0 or later, then it uses
+the so-called Nix style commands. Using those for GF development is
+a pain. Every time when you change something in the source code, Cabal
+will generate a new folder for GF to look for the GF libraries and
+the GF cloud. Either reinstall everything with every change in the
+compiler, or be sane and stop using cabal-install. Instead you can do:
+```
+runghc Setup.hs configure
+runghc Setup.hs build
+runghc Setup.hs install
+```
+The script will install the GF dependencies globally. The only solution
+to the Nix madness that I found is radical:
+
+  "No person, no problem" (Нет человека – нет проблемы).
 
 For more information, including links to precompiled binaries, see the [download page](https://www.grammaticalframework.org/download/index.html).
 

Setup.hs

@@ -4,42 +4,68 @@ import Distribution.Simple.LocalBuildInfo(LocalBuildInfo(..),absoluteInstallDirs
 import Distribution.Simple.Setup(BuildFlags(..),Flag(..),InstallFlags(..),CopyDest(..),CopyFlags(..),SDistFlags(..))
 import Distribution.PackageDescription(PackageDescription(..),emptyHookedBuildInfo)
 import Distribution.Simple.BuildPaths(exeExtension)
+import System.Directory
 import System.FilePath((</>),(<.>))
+import System.Process
+import Control.Monad(forM_,unless)
+import Control.Exception(bracket_)
+import Data.Char(isSpace)
 
 import WebSetup
 
--- | Notice about RGL not built anymore
-noRGLmsg :: IO ()
-noRGLmsg = putStrLn "Notice: the RGL is not built as part of GF anymore. See https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/gf-rgl"
-
 main :: IO ()
 main = defaultMainWithHooks simpleUserHooks
-  { preBuild  = gfPreBuild
+  { preConf   = gfPreConf
+  , preBuild  = gfPreBuild
   , postBuild = gfPostBuild
   , preInst   = gfPreInst
   , postInst  = gfPostInst
   , postCopy  = gfPostCopy
   }
   where
-    gfPreBuild args  = gfPre args . buildDistPref
+    gfPreConf args flags = do
-    gfPreInst args = gfPre args . installDistPref
+      pkgs <- fmap (map (dropWhile isSpace) . tail . lines)
+                   (readProcess "ghc-pkg" ["list"] "")
+      forM_ dependencies $ \pkg -> do
+        let name = takeWhile (/='/') (drop 36 pkg)
+        unless (name `elem` pkgs) $ do
+          let fname = name <.> ".tar.gz"
+          callProcess "wget" [pkg,"-O",fname]
+          callProcess "tar"  ["-xzf",fname]
+          removeFile fname
+          bracket_ (setCurrentDirectory name) (setCurrentDirectory ".." >> removeDirectoryRecursive name) $ do
+            exists <- doesFileExist "Setup.hs"
+            unless exists $ do
+              writeFile "Setup.hs" (unlines [
+                  "import Distribution.Simple",
+                  "main = defaultMain"
+                ])
+            let to_descr = reverse .
+                           (++) (reverse ".cabal") . 
+                           drop 1 . 
+                           dropWhile (/='-') . 
+                           reverse
+            callProcess "wget"   [to_descr pkg, "-O", to_descr name]
+            callProcess "runghc" ["Setup.hs","configure"]
+            callProcess "runghc" ["Setup.hs","build"]
+            callProcess "sudo" ["runghc","Setup.hs","install"]
+          
+      preConf simpleUserHooks args flags
+
+    gfPreBuild args = gfPre args . buildDistPref
+    gfPreInst  args = gfPre args . installDistPref
 
     gfPre args distFlag = do
       return emptyHookedBuildInfo
 
     gfPostBuild args flags pkg lbi = do
-      -- noRGLmsg
       let gf = default_gf lbi
       buildWeb gf flags (pkg,lbi)
 
     gfPostInst args flags pkg lbi = do
-      -- noRGLmsg
-      saveInstallPath args flags (pkg,lbi)
       installWeb (pkg,lbi)
 
     gfPostCopy args flags  pkg lbi = do
-      -- noRGLmsg
-      saveCopyPath args flags (pkg,lbi)
       copyWeb flags (pkg,lbi)
 
     -- `cabal sdist` will not make a proper dist archive, for that see `make sdist`
@@ -47,27 +73,16 @@ main = defaultMainWithHooks simpleUserHooks
     gfSDist pkg lbi hooks flags = do
       return ()
 
-saveInstallPath :: [String] -> InstallFlags -> (PackageDescription, LocalBuildInfo) -> IO ()
+dependencies = [
-saveInstallPath args flags bi = do
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/utf8-string-1.0.2/utf8-string-1.0.2.tar.gz",
-  let
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/json-0.10/json-0.10.tar.gz",
-    dest = NoCopyDest
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/network-bsd-2.8.1.0/network-bsd-2.8.1.0.tar.gz",
-    dir = datadir (uncurry absoluteInstallDirs bi dest)
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/httpd-shed-0.4.1.1/httpd-shed-0.4.1.1.tar.gz",
-  writeFile dataDirFile dir
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/exceptions-0.10.5/exceptions-0.10.5.tar.gz",
-
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/stringsearch-0.3.6.6/stringsearch-0.3.6.6.tar.gz",
-saveCopyPath :: [String] -> CopyFlags -> (PackageDescription, LocalBuildInfo) -> IO ()
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/multipart-0.2.1/multipart-0.2.1.tar.gz",
-saveCopyPath args flags bi = do
+  "https://hackage.haskell.org/package/cgi-3001.5.0.0/cgi-3001.5.0.0.tar.gz"
-  let
+  ]
-    dest = case copyDest flags of
-      NoFlag -> NoCopyDest
-      Flag d -> d
-    dir = datadir (uncurry absoluteInstallDirs bi dest)
-  writeFile dataDirFile dir
-
--- | Name of file where installation's data directory is recording
--- This is a last-resort way in which the seprate RGL build script
--- can determine where to put the compiled RGL files
-dataDirFile :: String
-dataDirFile = "DATA_DIR"
 
 -- | Get path to locally-built gf
 default_gf :: LocalBuildInfo -> FilePath

gf.cabal

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: gf
 version: 3.11.0-git
 
 cabal-version: 1.22
-build-type: Custom
+build-type: Simple
 license: OtherLicense
 license-file: LICENSE
 category: Natural Language Processing, Compiler
@@ -44,14 +44,6 @@ data-files:
   www/translator/*.css
   www/translator/*.js
 
-custom-setup
-  setup-depends:
-    base >= 4.9.1 && < 4.16,
-    Cabal >= 1.22.0.0,
-    directory >= 1.3.0 && < 1.4,
-    filepath >= 1.4.1 && < 1.5,
-    process >= 1.0.1.1 && < 1.7
-
 source-repository head
   type: git
   location: https://github.com/GrammaticalFramework/gf-core.git
@@ -89,9 +81,7 @@ library
     mtl >= 2.2.1 && < 2.3,
     pretty >= 1.1.3 && < 1.2,
     random >= 1.1 && < 1.3,
-    utf8-string >= 1.0.1.1 && < 1.1,
+    utf8-string >= 1.0.1.1 && < 1.1
-    -- We need transformers-compat >= 0.6.3, but that is only in newer snapshots where it is redundant.
-    transformers-compat >= 0.5.1.4 && < 0.7
 
   if impl(ghc<8.0)
     build-depends:

src/compiler/GF/Interactive.hs

@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@ import GF.Server(server)
 #endif
 
 import GF.Command.Messages(welcome)
--- Provides an orphan instance of MonadFail for StateT in ghc versions < 8
-import Control.Monad.Trans.Instances ()
 
 -- | Run the GF Shell in quiet mode (@gf -run@).
 mainRunGFI :: Options -> [FilePath] -> IO ()