Hi! On Sun, 2019-12-15 at 11:15:47 -0800, Josh Triplett wrote: > Package: dpkg-dev > Version: 1.19.7 > Severity: wishlist > File: /usr/share/man/man5/deb-changelog.5.gz
> The deb-changelog manpage defines the first line of the format as: > > package (version) distributions; metadata > > This line, and the subsequent description, doesn't make the following > clear: > > - Is a package required to have at least one metadata field? > - If a package can have no metadata, does the first line require a > semicolon (immediately preceding the newline), or can it omit the > semicolon? > > (I don't want to assume that the behavior of any particular > changelog-parsing tool describes the requirements of the standard; I'd > like to know what the standard allows/requires.) Well, dpkg being the canonical implementation for parsers of most of these formats, limits at least what it is currently allowed anyway. Which does not mean Debian might be as permissive, or other current implementations. I've queued the following change, which I guess should clarify the above points: ,--- diff --git i/man/deb-changelog.man w/man/deb-changelog.man index 6d57a8a9d..e48723260 100644 --- i/man/deb-changelog.man +++ w/man/deb-changelog.man @@ -62,7 +62,10 @@ number. this version should be installed when it is uploaded; it is copied to the \fBDistribution\fP field in the \fI.changes\fP file. .PP -\fImetadata\fP is a comma-separated list of \fIkeyword\fP=\fIvalue\fP items. +\fImetadata\fP lists zero or more comma-separated \fIkeyword\fP=\fIvalue\fP +items. +Each keyword can contain only minus and case insensitive alphanumeric +characters, as they need to be mapped to deb822(5) field names. The only \fIkeyword\fPs currently supported by \fBdpkg\fP are \fBurgency\fP and \fBbinary\-only\fP. \fBurgency\fP's value is used for the \fBUrgency\fP field in the `--- Thanks, Guillem
