Re: [docs] [PATCH] ref-manual: under meta/files, mention Wic files

On Wed, 24 Jun 2026, Quentin Schulz wrote:

> Hi Robert,
>
> On 6/22/26 9:44 PM, Robert P. J. Day via lists.yoctoproject.org wrote:
> >
> > Add a reference to image Wic files under meta/files.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Robert P. J. Day <[email protected]>
> >
> > ---
> >
> > diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/structure.rst
> > b/documentation/ref-manual/structure.rst
> > index ff84b250b..a55b3ba56 100644
> > --- a/documentation/ref-manual/structure.rst
> > +++ b/documentation/ref-manual/structure.rst
> > @@ -868,7 +868,8 @@ layer.
> >   ---------------
> >
> >   This directory contains common license files and several text files used
> > -by the build system. The text files contain minimal device information
> > +by the build system, as well as Wic files that define generated image
> > layouts.
>
> Please always try to find cross-references we could use.
>
> Here at the very least the wic dedicated page /dev-manual/wic or
> possibly rather the WKS /ref-manual/kickstart.rst since I'm assuming
> it's what we store there?

  good point, will fix.

> The wording is a bit odd to me too, it could be understood as wic
> files being a representation of image we generate but it's actually
> the opposite! wic files are used to generate image binaries!

  as i'm waiting for a lengthy compile, i will wax poetic about this
very point as the choice of words can be interpreted very differently.
in the above, the word "define" would normally be interpreted as a
driver of a process while, if i meant in the other direction, i would
have used the word "represented".

  "a" defines "b": the content of "a" in some way produces "b"
  "a" represents "b": "a" is a result of processing the contents of "b"

the best literary example of this is mark twain's savage evisceration
of the works of american author james fenimore cooper:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3172/3172-h/3172-h.htm

i would read the whole thing but the relevant part here is near the
bottom, where twain points out that cooper's "word-sense" is flawed
in that he regularly chooses the wrong word so, yes, one has to be
careful about word choice.

rday