Pubish runfiles package to crates.io

[UebelAndre]

Would it be possible to publish the [runfiles|https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_rust/blob/main/tools/runfiles/runfiles.rs] package to https://crates.io/ so it doesn't become an unnecessary forcing forcing function between the use of Bazel and Cargo? The library very rarely changes so I think it'd be fine to publish something to maintain interoperability.

[UebelAndre]

cc @krasimirgg @scentini

[krasimirgg]

I'm a bit doubtful about successfully using this from a cargo context: from the sources it looks like this is very specifically designed for using in bazel environments: https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_rust/blob/main/tools/runfiles/runfiles.rs#L1. As a risk: if we publish it to crates.io, this may create unreasonable expectations that it works in cargo context.
Otherwise I think it's fine to publish in principle.

Could you say more about how this unnecessarily forces to choose between bazel and cargo? Naively, if I had a project and wanted it to support both cargo and bazel and needed the runfiles functionality for the bazel bits, I'd try and guard the bazel-specific bits that require the runfiles under a source config / conditional compilation or something like that.

[fmeum]

While it's true that the runfiles library should change only very rarely, it actually will have to change to accommodate Bzlmod (see bazelbuild/bazel#16124 and the linked proposal). Whatever the outcome of this discussion is, I would urge you to wait until Bazel 6 has been released and the required changes have been implemented.

[UebelAndre]

Seems rules_python published their runfiles library:

• release: publish our runfiles wheel to pypi rules_python#1048

I still think this should be a published crate.

[liningpan]

I think another benefit is to have it accessible on docs.rs, although pkg.go.dev works differently.
https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/bazelbuild/rules_go@v0.39.1/go/runfiles