Differences between revisions 4 and 6 (spanning 2 versions)
Revision 4 as of 2006-04-19 17:05:54
Size: 5974
Editor: TorstenMarek
Comment: add sample debian/rules file for python-support and some transition guidelines
Revision 6 as of 2006-04-22 22:20:54
Size: 6968
Editor: ?ArnaudFontaine
Comment:
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
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include /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/simple-patchsys.mk
Line 64: Line 63:
DEB_PYTHON_INSTALL_ARGS_ALL = --no-compile -O0 --install-lib usr/share/python-support/$your-package DEB_PYTHON_INSTALL_ARGS_ALL += --install-lib usr/share/python-support/$your-package

# If you have an additional documentation package, you have to remove *.py files
# from this package, otherwise the following target isn't needed at all
common-binary-post-install-indep::
        rm -rf debian/$your-package-doc/usr/share/python-support
Line 71: Line 75:

A sample debian/control.in file :

{{{
Source: $your-source-package
Section: python
Priority: optional
Maintainer: Maintainer name and email
Uploaders: Debian Python Modules Team <python-modules-team@lists.alioth.debian.org>
Standards-Version: 3.6.2
Build-Depends-Indep: @cdbs@, python-dev

Package: $your-package
Architecture: all
Depends: python (>= 2.3), python-support
Description: your description
}}}

If you are using this sample, you have to generate the debian/control file (otherwise you should replace @cdbs@ by cdbs and debhelper depends) using the following command line :
{{{
$ DEB_AUTO_UPDATE_DEBIAN_CONTROL=yes fakeroot debian/rules clean
}}}

Concerning CDBS, there is an interesting documentation :
[https://perso.duckcorp.org/duck/cdbs-doc/cdbs-doc.xhtml]

Debian Python FAQ

This is the FAQ of the debian-python@l.d.o mailing list. It is of particular interest to members of the [http://python-modules.alioth.debian.org/ Debian Python Modules Team].

1. What are the projects and documentation available ?

If you're interested in help packaging Python itself, there's [http://alioth.debian.org/projects/pkg-python pkg-python] but if you want to help with the Python modules or packaging a new one, you should look at [http://python-modules.alioth.debian.org Debian Python Modules Team] project. Both groups discuss its activities in the same mailing list.

1.1. python-modules

The Debian Python Modules Team has its own [http://python-modules.alioth.debian.org/python-modules-policy.html policy], but keep in mind that they follow [http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/python-policy/ Debian Python Policy] and of course [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ Debian Policy] too.

2. Supporting multiple python versions

We always have several versions of Python in Debian. Some packages provide modules only for the default version, and other provide modules for all available versions. Some sources packages do that by providing several binary packages while other do that with a single one.

We should reduce that diversity and if possible provide the modules for all python version available within Debian. The following guidelines should help you.

2.1. Build dependencies

Traditionally, Python extension modules list the development packages of all Python version they are built for in their build dependencies. In order to reduce hard-wired dependencies and ease transitions (old Python versions getting dropped and new ones being added), packages should just depend on python-all-dev. This package, generated from python-default, depends on the development packages of all Python version in Debian at that point.

2.2. Using python-support

A non-binary module (i.e. package with architecture: all) can use python-support to make the module available to all available Python versions. For this you need to install the module in a sub-directory of /usr/share/python-support and then you need to register that directory with update-python-modules in the postint (and unregister accordingly in prerm). Of course you need to add "python-support" as a dependency. Please note that the default Depends field generated by dh_python is wrong since the package now supports multiple versions. Until this is fixed you need to manually define the dependency (like "python (>=2.3), python (<< 2.5)", if you say that you support python 2.3 and python2.4).

Example of postinst:

set -e

#DEBHELPER#

if [ "$1" = "configure" ] && which update-python-modules >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        update-python-modules -i /usr/share/python-support/kid
fi

Example of prerm:

set -e

#DEBHELPER#

if which update-python-modules >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        update-python-modules -c -i /usr/share/python-support/kid
fi

If you are using CDBS, a sample debian/rules file looks like this:

# -*- mode: makefile; coding: utf-8 -*-

# python-distutils before debhelper to avoid it calling dh_python by itself
include /usr/share/cdbs/1/class/python-distutils.mk
include /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk

DEB_PYTHON_INSTALL_ARGS_ALL += --install-lib usr/share/python-support/$your-package

# If you have an additional documentation package, you have to remove *.py files
# from this package, otherwise the following target isn't needed at all
common-binary-post-install-indep::
        rm -rf debian/$your-package-doc/usr/share/python-support

clean::
        # Hack (CDBS bug -- see #300149)
        -rm -rf build
        find -name '*.py[co]' -exec rm -f {} \;

A sample debian/control.in file :

Source: $your-source-package
Section: python
Priority: optional
Maintainer: Maintainer name and email
Uploaders: Debian Python Modules Team <python-modules-team@lists.alioth.debian.org>
Standards-Version: 3.6.2
Build-Depends-Indep: @cdbs@, python-dev

Package: $your-package
Architecture: all
Depends: python (>= 2.3), python-support
Description: your description

If you are using this sample, you have to generate the debian/control file (otherwise you should replace @cdbs@ by cdbs and debhelper depends) using the following command line :

$ DEB_AUTO_UPDATE_DEBIAN_CONTROL=yes fakeroot debian/rules clean

Concerning CDBS, there is an interesting documentation : [https://perso.duckcorp.org/duck/cdbs-doc/cdbs-doc.xhtml]

(TODO: extend sample for egg support)

2.3. Converting to python-support

If your package python-foo previously provided packages for several Python versions (python2.3-foo, python2.4-foo), you should do the following:

  • check if any other packages depend on something else than python-foo. If any package does
    • add python2.3-foo, python2.4-foo to the "Provides" field of your package
    • file bugs for these packages, mentioning the transition
    • drop them after the other packages have been fixed
  • add python2.3-foo and python2.4-foo to the "Conflicts" and "Replaces" field. This will force their uninstallation if python-foo is upgraded to the new version.

3. Python eggs

3.1. What are Python eggs?

http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PythonEggs

3.2. How should we package Python eggs?

We don't want to provide ".egg" files within the .deb. However we want to make the "egg meta-information" available so that users can use eggs if they so wish. For that you need to pass the option "--single-version-externally-managed" to the "setup.py install" call.

Packages relying on CDBS can do that this way:

# Install egg-info directories
DEB_PYTHON_INSTALL_ARGS_ALL += --single-version-externally-managed

3.3. How do we add Egg support to a package that doesnt support it yet?

Basicly, you should modify setup.py to use the setup function of "setuptools" instead of "distutils". Of course, you must then Build-Depends on "python-setuptools (>= 0.6a9)" which is the first version supporting the egg-info directories.

Check the following links for documentation about setuptools and creation of Eggs:

Example of minimal patch:

--- elementtree-1.2.6.old/setup.py      2006-04-18 12:25:33.000000000 +0000
+++ elementtree-1.2.6/setup.py  2006-04-18 12:26:30.000000000 +0000
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #

 from distutils.core import setup
+from setuptools import setup

 try:
     # add download_url syntax to distutils

Adding "egg support" is only required in some specific cases: when another software uses the python module via an egg and when this egg support is not yet integrated upstream.