David Wheeler has recently published a proposal for PGAN which is essentially like like a CPAN for PostgreSQL.
It combines:
- The use of PGXS to enable building C-based extensions
- Standardized metadata about any given module
It assumes the use of some specific technologies, which probably warrants some further discussion (because people are sure to have vigorous disagreement about some of them, not because his choices are bad, but because people are a problem!):
- PGXS, which is a given that seems entirely apropos
- JSON as a data format for the metadata
- A choice of pg_regress or pgTAP regression tests.
(Aficionados of other test frameworks may think differently!) - HTML documentation
It’s worth observing that PostgreSQL contrib material has been trending towards use of DocBook.
Other analogous structures like CPAN have developed formats such as POD that enable multi-format output, as well as the notion of transforming documentation into deployable man pages.
None of the possible differences are forcibly objectionable; they’re just different options that may be worth considering.
See also… David Wheeler’s Blog