How can I use GitHub as a paclet server?

Questions
,
1

I want to use GitHub as a paclet server, but this fails:

PacletInstall[
 "ServiceConnection_StackExchange",
 "Site" -> "https:/github.com/paclets/Repository"
 ]

PacletSiteUpdate::err: An error occurred attempting to update paclet information from site https:/github.com/b3m2a1/PacletServer. Does not appear to be a valid paclet site

PacletInstall::notavail: No paclet named ServiceConnection_StackExchange is available for download from any currently enabled paclet sites.

$Failed

Is there a work around?

2

You need to place a PacletSite.mz file which lists the available versions in the git. Next to that, you need a folder “Paclets” that contains the paclets.

The PacletSite.mz is a zipped .m file that basically contains a list of the PacletInfo.wl for each version but then slightly differently formatted.

    PacletSite[
    	Paclet["Name" -> "QMRITools", "Version" -> "3.8.0", 
    	  "WolframVersion" -> "13.0+", "SystemID" -> All, 
    	  "Description" -> "Toolbox for Quantitative MRI.", 
    	  "Extensions" -> {...}],
    	Paclet["Name" -> "QMRITools", "Version" -> "3.9.0", 
    	  "WolframVersion" -> "13.3+", "SystemID" -> All, 
    	  "Description" -> "Toolbox for Quantitative MRI.", 
    	  "Extensions" -> {...}]
    ]

for more information see here

It would be more useful if Mathematica would recognize the github.com/.../releases page a valid paclet location instead of the “Paclets” folder.

3

I appreciate your swift response on this. I can now see that the mistake was on my end.