How to create a .tcz file

[alwanbi]

Can someone give me an example document on how to create a .tcz file so I can add software to PiCore?
Perhaps someone has an example they can share?
I am a fairly new Tiny Core user but I see lots of potential for this distro in use with my Raspberry Pi.
My main goal is to get two software packages added to the distro: motion and fswebcam.

Thanks in advance.

[gerald_clark]

It's in the wiki.

[grandma]

Hi Gerald,

6 years later
after reading that wiki
100 times
I still can't figure it out.

Is it possible
you and I can work together
so I can rewrite that
so anyone can follow it?

I have made a lot of edu material
for folks like the University of Phoenix
Godaddy, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning etc.

and if you can help me do it
BUILD A TCZ
then I am sure I can write a tutorial
anyone can follow.

Is that possible?

Thank you in advance.

[curaga]

Have you read the book? I think the "less" chapter is pretty clear.

[grandma]

Hi Curaga,

Not sure what book you mean, and hence, that "chapter" eludes me as well.
My apology. I try to be psychic - my sister drilled that into me,
but it doesn't always work as planned.

What I do know is that to accomplish something
sometimes you just have to spend 100 - 1000 hours
and keep poking around.

So...instead of banging my head on a wall on the Wiki
I went to YOUTUBE - yeah team...
and found a simple video and came up with this.

Hope it helps others...and saves them
the 1000 plus hours I had invested
over the years...
...trying to get a script to run on boot...
...and making their own TCZ.

Both problems appear solved now.

1. A YouTube video taught me enough
to make this script to automate
building a tcz that worked.

#!/bin/sh
tce-load -i squashfs-tools-4.x.tcz
cd /home/tc
# create the file structure that will hold your tcz
# change the name mylittle to the name of your package
# throughout this script
sudo mkdir -p /home/tc/mylittle/usr/local/tce.installed
cd /home/tc/mylittle/usr/local/tce.installed
# a tcc compiled C program that simply shells a system call to run a shell script
cp /mnt/sdb1/tinycutils/mylittle .
# a shell script that simply echos a HELLO message to a log file in the tmp folder
cp /mnt/sdb1/tinycutils/mylittle.sh .
sudo chmod a=rwx *
# probably should just be rx...but...
cd /home/tc
sudo echo hi >mylittle.tcz
sudo rm mylittle.tcz
# pack it all up
mksquashfs mylittle/ mylittle.tcz
# dump it in optional with other tczs
cd /mnt/sda1/tce/optional
cp /home/tc/mylittle.tcz .
# Then add it to onboot.lst
# ALL DONE

2. BEFORE running this you will need
a simple C program
and a simple shell script.
Folks probably don't need the
C program, but this worked fine.

mylittle.c was

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
/* #################################### */
main(int argc, char** argv)
{
system("sh /usr/local/tce.installed/mylittle.sh");
exit(0);
}

and mylittle.sh shell script was simply:

#!/bin/sh
sudo echo HELLO >/tmp/mylittle.log

3. If you want the shell script to do
something else (like load extensions,
do a backup, find a file or open a browser)
simply add more instructions.

ALL DONE

Hope this helps.

[patrikg]

I think he think of this book.

http://tinycorelinux.net/corebook.pdf

[grandma]

waaaaaaaaaay kewl
friggn awwwwwwwwesome

[coreplayer2]

Hi grandma

the section of the wiki that discusses how to make an extension is here http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:creating_extensions

This section takes you through the complete creation starting from compiling the app to submitting the extension. 

the actual section which relates to squashing of extension is only a few descriptive lines because in fairness that part is straight forward and only one command is required to accomplish that task.

to see how an extension is created I found it is better to deconstruct a similar extension to use as a guide then once you've prepared the new extension with required structure simply squash it up.
Commands to deconstruct an extension and squash the new extension are:

Code: [Select]

tce-load -i squashfs.tcz
sudo unsquashfs -d extension_name extension_name.tcz
mksquashfs new_extension new_extension.tcz

If you're concerned that you may not have applied the correct permissions to files contained within the new extension please use the audit extension " submitqc ";  use

Code: [Select]

submitqc  --fix   from the specific directory containing only the tcz you wish to fix,  or

Code: [Select]

submitqc just to check.