nixos-and-flakes-book/docs/nixpkgs/callpackage.md

# `pkgs.callPackage`

In the previous section, we used the `import xxx.nix` syntax to import Nix files. This syntax simply returns the execution result of the file without any further processing.

Another method to import Nix files is `pkgs.callPackage`. Its syntax is `pkgs.callPackage xxx.nix { ... }`. However, unlike `import`, the Nix file imported by `pkgs.callPackage` must be a Derivation or a function that returns a Derivation. The result of `pkgs.callPackage` is also a Derivation, which represents a software package.

So, what does a Nix file that can be used as a parameter for `pkgs.callPackage` look like? You can refer to the `hello.nix`, `fcitx5-rime.nix`, `vscode/with-extensions.nix`, and `firefox/common.nix` files mentioned earlier. All of these files can be imported using `pkgs.callPackage`.

When the `xxx.nix` file used in `pkgs.callPackage xxx.nix {...}` is a function (most Nix packages follow this pattern), the execution flow is as follows:

1. `pkgs.callPackage xxx.nix {...}` first imports `xxx.nix` to obtain the function defined within it. This function usually has parameters like `lib`, `stdenv`, `fetchurl`, and sometimes additional custom parameters with default values.

2. Then, `pkgs.callPackage` searches for a value matching the parameter names from the current environment. Parameters like `lib`, `stdenv`, and `fetchurl` are defined in nixpkgs and will be found in this step.

3. Next, `pkgs.callPackage` merges its second parameter, `{...}`, with the attribute set obtained in the previous step. It then passes this merged set as the parameter to the function imported from `xxx.nix` for execution.

4. Finally, the result of the function execution is a Derivation.

The common use case for `pkgs.callPackage` is to import customized Nix packages and use them in Nix Modules.

For example, let's say we have a customized NixOS kernel configuration file named `kernel.nix`, which uses the SBC's name and kernel source as its variable parameters:

```nix
{
  lib,
  stdenv,
  linuxManualConfig,

  src,
  boardName,
  ...
}:
(linuxManualConfig {
  version = "5.10.113-thead-1520";
  modDirVersion = "5.10.113";

  inherit src lib stdenv;

  # File path to the generated kernel config file (`.config` generated by make menuconfig)
  #
  # Here, we use a special usage to generate a file path from a string.
  configfile = ./. + "${boardName}_config";

  allowImportFromDerivation = true;
})
```

We can use `pkgs.callPackage ./kernel.nix {}` in any Nix Module to import and replace any of its parameters:

```nix
{ lib, pkgs, pkgsKernel, kernel-src, ... }:

{
  # ......

  boot = {
    # ......
    kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackagesFor (pkgs.callPackage ./pkgs/kernel {
        src = kernel-src;  # The kernel source is passed as a `specialArgs` and injected into this module.
        boardName = "licheepi4a";  # The board name, used to generate the kernel config file path.
    });

  # ......
}
```

In the example above, we use `pkgs.callPackage` to pass different `src` and `boardName` parameters to the function defined in `kernel.nix`. This allows us to generate different kernel packages. By changing the parameters passed to `pkgs.callPackage`, `kernel.nix` can adapt to different kernel sources and development boards.

## References

- [Chapter 13. Callpackage Design Pattern - Nix Pills](https://nixos.org/guides/nix-pills/callpackage-design-pattern.html)