Automatic updates for AUR software?

[shmu26]

Let’s say I install something like Google Chrome, which comes from AUR. I might do it by YAY or by Pamac.
Can I get automatic updates for Chrome?
Let’s say that in Pamac, I enable AUR and also AUR updates.
Now will Chrome be updated automatically, along with software from the Manjaro repo?

[megavolt]

If you install a AUR package with pamac, then yes, it will check of updates.

If you install a AUR package with yay, then pamac will not update, because yay and pamac have not the same database.

pacman is another case, when it comes to precompiled packages of the arch or manjaro repos.

[Yochanan]

Updating Chrome automatically should be fine, however it’s not good practice to blindly install and automatically update packages from the AUR.

There are plenty of horribly written PKGBUILDs by inexperienced users. ALWAYS check the PKGBUILD before you install or update a package. That’s why AUR helpers offer to show you the diff between versions.

[shmu26]

I need a beginners course in checking PKGBUILD, if you can point me in the right direction.

[Yochanan]

A PKGBUILD is basically a Bash script that tells makepkg what to do. Familiarize yourself what each array and function does. If you see commands you don’t recognize, look them up.

An easy first step is checking the the source array to make sure the files are coming from a trusted place such as the official website or developer’s git repository.

[shmu26]

So in the end I installed google-chrome by git.
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/google-chrome.git
How can I keep Chrome updated, in this case?

[Falav]

If you installed it with pamac I think it’s updated automatically.

[shmu26]

But I did not use pamac, I used
git clone
makepkg -s
sudo pacman -U google-chrome-85.0.4183.102-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

[Falav]

Mmh not sure then about the auto update…

[Yochanan]

@shmu26

How can I keep Chrome updated, in this case?

Create an AUR account and enable notifications in the upper right of the google-chrome page. You’ll get an email when there are new commits.

[guinux]

@megavolt

If you install a AUR package with yay, then pamac will not update, because yay and pamac have not the same database.

It’s false, when you build and install a package from AUR manually (with makepkg) or with an AUR helper (pamac, yay,…), it’s added in the same local database.
Any AUR helper can then check for updates from AUR.

[megavolt]

You’re right @guinux . I wish I had tested it properly…

The local database will probably be /var/lib/pacman/local/. Pamac, as well as yay searches it and matches it with the names in the AUR and the official repos.

So pacman, pamac, yay… use the same path for updates and compare it accordingly.

But yay and pamac have different paths for the PKGBUIDs and where to download them.

yay: ~/.cache/yay/
pamac: ~/tmp/pamac

At least that was the default when I installed some time ago.

What irritated me was this database: /var/lib/pacman/sync/pamac_aur.db I must have mixed up /var/lib/pacman/local/ with ~/.cache/yay/ or ~/tmp/pamac.

Well, I guess it’s settled then, but if both are used, they are different temporary databases for the PKGBUILDS by default.

[shmu26]

I can confirm that I installed AUR packages by means of Trizen, git clone, Pamac, and downloaded installation file (this one was for Zoom), and they all show as installed in Pamac.