Fixed the wonkiness. About to test.

package-build.el

@@ -152,24 +152,15 @@
       (cons newval (cdr lst))
     (cons (car lst) (package-change-list-elt (cdr lst) (1- idx) newval))))
 
-(defun package-build-pkg-file (pkg-file file-name version homepage)
+(defun package-build-pkg-file (pkg-file pkg-info)
   "build the pkg file"
   (let ((print-level nil)
         (print-length nil)
-        (pkglst
+        (pkg-list (list 'define-package
-         (or (package-read-from-file pkg-file)
+                        (aref pkg-info 0)
-             (list 'define-package
+                        (aref pkg-info 3)
-                   file-name
+                        (aref pkg-info 2)
-                   version
+                        (aref pkg-info 1))))
-                   homepage
-                   (list 'quote (mapcar
-                                 (lambda (elt)
-                                   (list (car elt)
-                                         (package-version-join (cadr elt))))
-                                 nil))))))
-
-    ;; set the packages version
-    (setq pkglst (package-change-list-elt pkglst 2 version))
 
     (write-region
      (concat
@@ -226,8 +217,37 @@
   (mapc 'package-build-archive pkgs)
   (package-build-dump-archive-contents))
 
+(defun package-get-package-info (file-name)
+  (when (file-exists-p file-name)
+    (save-window-excursion
+      (find-file file-name)
+      (flet ((package-strip-rcs-id
+              (str)
+              (when str
+                (when (string-match "\\`[ \t]*[$]Revision:[ \t]+" str)
+                  (setq str (substring str (match-end 0))))
+                (setq str (car (split-string str)))
+                (condition-case nil
+                    (if (version-to-list str)
+                        str)
+                  (error nil)))))
+        (package-buffer-info)))))
+
+(defun package-get-pkgfile-info (file-name)
+  (when (file-exists-p file-name)
+    (let ((pkgfile-info (cdr (package-read-from-file file-name))))
+      (vector
+       (nth 0 pkgfile-info)
+       (mapcar
+        (lambda (elt)
+          (list (car elt) (version-to-list (cadr elt))))
+        (eval (nth 3 pkgfile-info)))
+       (nth 2 pkgfile-info)
+       (nth 1 pkgfile-info)))))
+
+
 (defun package-build-archive (file-name)
-  "build a git package archive"
+  "build a package archive"
   (interactive)
 
   (let* ((name (intern file-name))
@@ -240,10 +260,7 @@
 
       (let* ((repo-type (plist-get cfg :fetcher))
              (repo-url (plist-get cfg :url))
-             (summary (plist-get cfg :summary))
              (files (plist-get cfg :files))
-             (pkglst)
-             (pkgdeps)
              (version
               (cond
                ((eq repo-type 'svn)
@@ -255,42 +272,49 @@
                ((eq repo-type 'darcs)
                 (print 'Darcs)
                 (package-build-checkout-darcs repo-url pkg-cwd))))
-             (pkg-base-dir (concat file-name "-" version))
-             (pkg-file (concat file-name "-pkg.el"))
              (default-directory package-build-working-dir))
-
         (cond
          ((= 1 (length files))
-          (copy-file (expand-file-name (car files) pkg-cwd)
+          (let* ((pkgsrc (expand-file-name (car files) pkg-cwd))
+                 (pkg-info (package-get-package-info pkgsrc)))
+            (unless pkg-info
+              (setq pkg-info
+                    (vector file-name nil "No description available." version)))
+            (aset version 3 pkg-info)
+            (copy-file pkgsrc
                        (expand-file-name (concat file-name "-" version ".el")
                                          package-build-archive-dir))
-          (package-build-add-to-archive-contents
+            (package-build-add-to-archive-contents pkg-info 'single)))
-           name version pkgdeps summary 'single))
-
          (t
-          (copy-directory file-name pkg-base-dir)
+          (let* ((pkg-dir (concat file-name "-" version))
-          (setq pkglst
+                 (pkg-tar-dir
-                (package-build-pkg-file
+                  (file-name-as-directory
-                 (expand-file-name
+                   (expand-file-name pkg-dir package-build-working-dir)))
-                  pkg-file
+                 (pkg-file (concat file-name "-pkg.el"))
-                  (concat
+                 (pkg-info (package-get-pkgfile-info
-                   (file-name-as-directory package-build-working-dir)
+                            (expand-file-name pkg-file pkg-tar-dir))))
-                   (file-name-as-directory pkg-base-dir)))
+
-                 file-name version summary))
+            (copy-directory file-name pkg-dir)
-          (setq pkgdeps (mapcar
+            (unless pkg-info
-                         (lambda (elt)
+              (setq pkg-info (package-get-package-info
-                           (list (car elt) (version-to-list (cadr elt))))
+                              (expand-file-name file-name pkg-tar-dir))))
-                         (eval (nth 4 pkglst))))
+            (unless pkg-info
+              (setq pkg-info
+                    (vector file-name nil "No description available." version)))
+            (package-build-pkg-file (expand-file-name pkg-file pkg-tar-dir)
+                                    pkg-info))
+
           (when files
             (add-to-list 'files pkg-file))
+
           (package-build-create-tar
-           pkg-base-dir
+           pkg-dir
            (expand-file-name
             (concat file-name "-" version ".tar") package-build-archive-dir)
            files)
-          (delete-directory pkg-base-dir t nil)
+
-          (package-build-add-to-archive-contents
+          (delete-directory pkg-dir t nil)
-           name version pkgdeps summary 'tar))))
+          (package-build-add-to-archive-contents pkg-info 'tar))))
       (package-build-dump-archive-contents))))
 
 
@@ -324,10 +348,13 @@
    (expand-file-name "archive-contents" package-build-archive-dir)
    nil nil nil nil))
 
-
+(defun package-build-add-to-archive-contents (pkg-info type)
-(defun package-build-add-to-archive-contents (name version deps homepage type)
   "add an archive to the package-build-archive-contents"
-  (let ((existing (assq name package-build-archive-alist)))
+  (let ((name (aref pkg-info 0))
+        (requires (aref pkg-info 1))
+        (desc (or (aref pkg-info 2) "No description available."))
+        (version (aref pkg-info 3))
+        (existing (assq name package-build-archive-alist)))
     (when existing
       (setq package-build-archive-alist
             (delq existing package-build-archive-alist)))
@@ -335,6 +362,6 @@
                  (cons name
                        (vector
                         (version-to-list version)
-                        deps
+                        requires
-                        homepage
+                        desc
                         type)))))