Guidelines for uploading TDS-Packaged materials to CTAN

Background

Some authors like to package their materials in a .zip file that is ready to unzip into a user's TeX tree. That is, in addition to uploading to CTAN in the traditional format

    xxx.zip:
       +--xxx/
          +--README.md
          +--xxx.ins
          +--xxx.dtx
          +--xxx.pdf

an author may send this.

    xxx.tds.zip:
       +--tex/
          +--latex/  
             +--xxx/
                +--xxx.sty
       +--doc/
          +--latex/
             +--xxx/
                +--README.md
                +--xxx.pdf
       +--source/
          +--latex/
             +--xxx/
                +--xxx.ins
                +--xxx.dtx

This layout follows the TeX Directory Standard. We say that these materials are TDS-packaged.

Note that, in most cases, the usefulness of the .tds.zip is transitory: most modern distributions provide most (free) packages, so that after a day or so, a new (version of a) package will be available via the distribution's update mechanism.

Action

Authors who do not wish to experiment should continue what they are doing. We ask that authors wishing to try TDS packaging do this.

As usual, upload a .zip or a .tar.gz bundle of your material. Lay the material out in the traditional way.
In the top level of your bundle place the file <pkg id>.tds.zip that contains the TDS packaging of your materials. We will not install this in the regular browsing tree but instead will put it below the install/ subtree.

Example

For instance, an author may send us xxx.zip with this layout.

   
    xxx.zip:
       xxx.tds.zip
       +--xxx/
          +--README.md
          +--xxx.ins
          +--xxx.dtx
          +--xxx.pdf

We install into macros/latex/contrib/xxx the files README.md, xxx.ins, xxx.dtx, and xxx.pdf. We generate a macros/latex/contrib/xxx.zip so archive visitors can download all these files at once. The xxx.tds.zip file which unzips into the TDS layout shown earlier we put in install/macros/latex/contrib/xxx.tds.zip.