Project: KCL (Provisioning / Automation & Configuration)
File: ide_kpm_workflow.md

The research report explores the workflows of popular IDEs for languages like Python, Go, and Rust, focusing on package installation, virtual environments, automatic updates, and package project management. The report also proposes integrating similar functionalities into the KCL (Configuration Language) development environment. Package Installation: Users can install packages easily through PyCharm's built-in package manager. Proposal: Implement a search command to fetch packages from a global repository like ArtifactHub. Virtual Environments: PyCharm supports effortless creation and activation of virtual environments. Proposal: Integrate virtual environment creation for KCL development to mitigate version mismatch errors. Automatic Updates: PyCharm prompts users to update installed packages. Proposal: Implement automatic updates for the KCL package using a similar mechanism. Package Project Management: Project-specific dependencies can be managed via a `requirements.txt` file. Proposal: Introduce a `kcl.mod` file to specify dependencies and provide a command (`kpm install kcl.mod`) to download them. Package Installation: IDEs like GoLand or VSCode with the Go extension seamlessly integrate with Go modules. Proposal: Allow fetching dependencies of KCL packages directly within the IDE. Virtual Environments: Go relies on Go modules for dependency management. Proposal: Although Go doesn't have traditional virtual environments, creating an isolated environment for KCL development could enhance user experience. Automatic Updates: Go modules automatically check for updates to dependencies specified in `go.mod`. Proposal: Enable automatic updates for KCL packages. Package Project Management: Go projects typically use a `go.mod` file to specify dependencies. Proposal: Introduce tools for managing dependencies in KCL projects, similar to `go mod tidy`. Package Installation: IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA with the Rust plugin or Visual Studio Code with the Rust extension support Cargo, Rust's package manager. Developers can use Cargo commands (`cargo build`, `cargo run`, `cargo test`, etc.) directly within the IDE to manage dependencies and build their projects. Virtual Environments: Rust projects utilize `Cargo.toml` files to specify dependencies and project configurations. IDEs provide tools to create and manage virtual environments using Cargo, enabling developers to isolate project dependencies effectively. Automatic Updates: Cargo also automatically checks for updates to dependencies specified in the `Cargo.toml` file. Package Project Management: Rust projects include a `Cargo.toml` file at the project root to declare dependencies and their versions. Features like dependency resolution, semantic versioning support, and conflict resolution are commonly integrated into IDEs to streamline package management in Rust projects. As a developer, I want to be able to search for and install packages easily from a global repository to simplify the process of adding dependencies to my KCL projects. As a developer, I want to create and manage virtual environments for KCL development to isolate project dependencies and avoid version mismatch errors. As a developer, I want the KCL package to be automatically updated when a new version is available to ensure that I'm using the latest version with bug fixes and improvements. As a developer, I want to fetch dependencies of KCL packages directly within my IDE, similar to GoLand's integration with Go modules, to simplify the process of adding dependencies and improve productivity. As a developer, I want tools for managing dependencies in KCL projects, similar to Go's `go mod tidy`, to ensure consistency and correctness of dependencies.