Changing "grafx2" package from a "cask" to a "formula".

[jbrandwood]

Output of brew config

HOMEBREW_VERSION: 5.0.6
ORIGIN: https://github.com/Homebrew/brew
HEAD: d28a8210ba87786bd2553a1d1d410c40ebd18c9f
Last commit: 11 hours ago
Branch: stable
Core tap JSON: 16 Dec 19:39 UTC
Core cask tap JSON: 16 Dec 19:39 UTC
HOMEBREW_PREFIX: /opt/homebrew
HOMEBREW_CASK_OPTS: []
HOMEBREW_DOWNLOAD_CONCURRENCY: 24
HOMEBREW_FORBID_PACKAGES_FROM_PATHS: set
HOMEBREW_MAKE_JOBS: 12
Homebrew Ruby: 3.4.7 => /opt/homebrew/Library/Homebrew/vendor/portable-ruby/3.4.7/bin/ruby
CPU: dodeca-core 64-bit arm_blizzard_avalanche
Clang: 17.0.0 build 1700
Git: 2.50.1 => /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/git
Curl: 8.7.1 => /usr/bin/curl
macOS: 26.2-arm64
CLT: 26.2.0.0.1.1764812424
Xcode: 26.2
Metal Toolchain: N/A
Rosetta 2: false

Output of brew doctor

Your system is ready to brew.

Description of issue

As mentioned in a recent comment by GrafX2's lead developer Adrien Destuges to this closed Homebrew issue ...

Homebrew/homebrew-cask#205688

The GrafX2 development team do not make official binary Mac builds of GrafX2 because none of them own a Mac, and the few ancient GrafX2 Mac builds that are available for download on their site are out-of-date, unsupported, and often broken on current Macs.

I have been working with them to bring their project's Mac compilation up-to-date and functional with Homebrew on current Apple Silicon Macs, and I am able to build a functioning executable with what is currently checked-in to their official gitlab repository here ... https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2

Two questions ...

1. How can we go about changing Homebrew's official GrafX2 package from being a "cask" that points to one of these ancient and unsupported Mac builds into a "formula" that builds GrafX2 from the official and supported repository source code?

2. When we do build GrafX2 as a "formula", would it be better to leave it as an SDL2 GUI executable in "/opt/homebrew/bin" that uses Homebrew's SDL2 libraries in the "/opt/homebrew/lib" directory tree as is currently working, or would it be OK to have the formula build either an unsigned or a locally-signed Application package to go into the "/Applications/" directory?

Best wishes,

John

[p-linnane]

We can migrate the cask to a formula. That would require writing a formula, and then removing the cask. Users will be informed about the migration.

We do not want formulae that build .app files: https://docs.brew.sh/Acceptable-Formulae#stuff-that-builds-an-app/.

[jbrandwood]

Thank you for the fast response!

I will check the documentation on creating a "formula" and try to test it with a local tap on my Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

If I cannot create .app, which is understandable, am I allowed to create an AppleScript file that executes the binary, that maybe the formula copies to the "/Application/" directory automatically, or alternatively that users could manually copy there from the "/opt/homebrew/share/grafx2/" directory?

Best wishes,

John