Package: debhelper Version: 8.0.0 Severity: wishlist Tags: patch Hi folks,
I just converted a patch to use dh_installdocs --link-doc to store the documentation in just one of my binary packages instead of duplicating them in multiple packages. However, it turns out that when you do this for an existing package, dpkg is not smart enough to handle the upgrade correctly. This means that, if you upgrade from a version without the link to a version with the link, the symlink does not get created, but instead you just get an empty documentation directory. Apparently supporting upgrades in this case needs a preinst script that removes the (then-empty) old documentation directory, so dpkg can unpack the symlink in its place. At the very least, this requirement should be documented in the dh_installdocs manpage (especially since dpkg is silent about this). Ideally, however, dh_installdocs should allow automatically create this preinst hook, to make this work. I've created a patch against debhelper git master implementing this, which I've included below. I'm not sure if the actual hook used is the best one (is silently creating a .dpkg-backup directory a good idea?), perhaps some one can comment. Also, the --upgrade-link-doc option might not be the best name, not sure. See also these bugreports for the dpkg side of this: - http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=626203 - http://bugs.debian.org/316935 - http://bugs.debian.org/406715 - http://bugs.debian.org/182747 However, it does not seem likely to me that this will (can) be fixed in dpkg... Gr. Matthijs Here's the patch: -- >8 -- Subject: [PATCH] add dh_installdocs --upgrade-link-doc option --- dh_installdocs | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-) diff --git a/dh_installdocs b/dh_installdocs index 104b796..8c59868 100755 --- a/dh_installdocs +++ b/dh_installdocs @@ -91,10 +91,26 @@ option will have no effect on packages with linked documentation directories, and F<copyright>, F<changelog>, F<README.Debian>, and F<TODO> files will not be installed. +If there are previous versions of the linking packages that did not +contain the link, you should also pass B<--upgrade-link-doc> as well to +make upgrades work properly. + (An older method to accomplish the same thing, which is still supported, is to make the documentation directory of a package be a dangling symlink, before calling B<dh_installdocs>.) +=item B<--upgrade-link-doc=>I<version> + +In addition to creating a link for the documentation directory, also +generate a preinst script that removes the old directory (making a +backup if it is not empty) on upgrades. This makes sure that dpkg can +actually create the symlink (it will silently ignore the symlink if a +directory already exists). + +The version number passed is the first version package version that +contains the symlink. The preinst script will run for upgrades from any +versions before this one. + =item I<file> ... Install these files as documentation into the first package acted on. (Or @@ -151,6 +167,7 @@ sub ensure_docdir { init(options => { "link-doc=s" => \$dh{LINK_DOC}, + "upgrade-link-doc=s" => \$dh{UPGRADE_LINK_DOC}, }); foreach my $package (@{$dh{DOPACKAGES}}) { @@ -175,6 +192,10 @@ foreach my $package (@{$dh{DOPACKAGES}}) { # the target. addsubstvar($package, "misc:Depends", $dh{LINK_DOC}); } + + if ($dh{UPGRADE_LINK_DOC}) { + autoscript($package,"preinst","preinst-rmdocdir","s!#PACKAGE#!$package!g;s!#VERSION#!$dh{UPGRADE_LINK_DOC}!g"); + } } else { ensure_docdir($package); -- 1.7.7.3 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
