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• AutomaticPackagingTools

This page references tools that aim at providing basic working Debian packages.

Language-agnostic

These are tools that generate Debian packages independently of the language. They often wrap language-specific package generators (see below).

Language-specific

Notes

• There's a Git repo with some example outputs

• only template means that the tool provides a file that is not customized per-package

• npm2deb only generates the Debian files from metadata, but does not create a proper source package. The upstream source is not downloaded.
• Several tools use wrap-and-sort to unify structure of debian/ files

Build-depends and Depends generation

• dh-make-perl uses local packages and apt-file to identify packages (broken with 0.84-2 and multiarch)

• stdeb also uses apt-file with a fallback on module name conversion (code)

• npm, gem2deb and cabal-Debian only convert upstream package names found in metadata, to Debian package names
• dh-make-elpa relies on dh-elpa's dependency detection

• DEP-11 could end up being the proper way to generate language-specific dependencies

• deb-fix-build from ognibuild will parse build logs for missing {build,test} dependencies to add, repeating until the build succeeds.

Copyright file generation

A draft copyright file can be created in one of these ways:

• licensecheck --check '.*' --recursive --deb-machine --lines 0 * >> debian/copyright

• cme update dpkg-copyright

In either case, you still need to double-check the information (licensecheck leaves FIXMEs to help you track which parts you have double-checked, whereas cme strips those FIXMEs)

See more details and alternative tools at CopyrightReviewTools

Usage

• Download upstream package from repository

  • Perl: cpan -g Oxford::Calendar (does nothing here ...; here it works maybe cpan config needed?)

  • Python: pypi-download NAME --release VERSION, f.e. pypi-download Mako --release 1.0.1

  • npm: npm install PKGNAME

  • Ruby: gem fetch GEMNAME

  • Haskell: cabal unpack --pristine PKGNAME

  • ELPA: user is expected to git clone upstream repository

• Debianize an unpacked upstream source

  • Perl: dh-make-perl [make] .

  • Python: python3 setup.py --command-packages=stdeb.command debianize

  • Ruby: dh-make-ruby

  • npm: not supported

  • Haskell: cabal-debian --official (see ?the step-by-step guide)

  • ELPA: dh-make-elpa [make]

• Debianize (without building source)

  • Perl: dh-make-perl [make] {SOURCE_DIR | --cpan MODULE|DIST} 

  • Python: not supported

  • Ruby: gem2deb --only-source-dir GEMNAME|GEMFILE

  • npm: npm2deb create PKGNAME

  • Haskell, ELPA: not supported, need unpacked source

• Debianize and build source package

  • Perl: dh-make-perl [make] {SOURCE_DIR | --cpan MODULE|DIST} --build-source or cpan2dsc MODULE

  • Python: py2dsc DISTFILE

  • Ruby: gem2deb --only-debian-source GEMNAME|GEMFILE

  • npm, Haskell, ELPA: not supported

• Debianize and build binary packages

  • Perl: dh-make-perl [make] {SOURCE_DIR | --cpan MODULE|DIST} --build or cpan2deb MODULE

  • Python: py2dsc-deb DISTFILE

  • Ruby: gem2deb GEMNAME|GEMFILE

  • npm, Haskell, ELPA: not supported

• Debianize, build, install

  • Perl: dh-make-perl [make] {SOURCE_DIR | --cpan MODULE|DIST} --install

  • Python: pypi-install NAME

  • Ruby: not supported

  • npm, Haskell, ELPA: not supported

• Refresh an already created package, moving old files to .bak:

  • All: cme migrate dpkg or cme fix dpkg See Managing Debian package files with cme

  • Perl: dh-make-perl refresh

  • Python: not supported

  • Ruby: dh-make-ruby -w

  • npm: not supported

  • Haskell: cabal-debian --official --upgrade

  • ELPA: not yet

Not (yet) covered tools

• OCaml : oasis2debian and opam2debian

Other languages without an automated generator

• PHP (PEAR packages) -- see pkg-php-tools for packaging tools (and debpear for a simple generator)
• Java -- see javahelper/maven-debian-helper for packaging tools. There is also "mh_make"

See also

• debdry: common frontend for most of the helpers described above description

• alien: converts RPM/etc binary packages to deb binary packages
• checkinstall: run an arbitrary upstream build system and auto-package the output

• game-data-packager: converts non-free game data files to Debian binary packages

• ognibuild: ogni info --explain --resolve=apt will attempt to auto-discover the buildsystem

TODO

• Look at http://tapoueh.org/blog/2015/05/02-ql-to-deb.html

• The R team seems to have a cran2deb package

• The Rust team seems to have a debcargo system

• spec2deb for starting from fedora packaging

Meetings

• DebConf15:

  • Automatic packaging BoF: notes, video

• Debian Reunion 2022:

  • Automating Debian Packaging: slides, video

Footnotes

CategoryPackaging CategorySoftware