10.2 Invoking guix edit

So many packages, so many source files! The guix edit command facilitates the life of users and packagers by pointing their editor at the source file containing the definition of the specified packages. For instance:

guix edit gcc@4.9 vim

launches the program specified in the VISUAL or in the EDITOR environment variable to view the recipe of GCC 4.9.3 and that of Vim.

If you are using a Guix Git checkout (see Building from Git), or have created your own packages on GUIX_PACKAGE_PATH (see Package Modules), you will be able to edit the package recipes. In other cases, you will be able to examine the read-only recipes for packages currently in the store.

Instead of GUIX_PACKAGE_PATH, the command-line option --load-path=directory (or in short -L directory) allows you to add directory to the front of the package module search path and so make your own packages visible.