Manual for the librules helper -*- Text -*- ------------------------------ $Id$ This file documents an experimental new debian/rules helper, a makefile called "librules.mk", which does all the boring work of building a package. Usage: The very first non-comment thing in your debian/rules should be the following line: librules_interface = 1 This helps to spot incompatibilities with debian/rules and the librules.mk file currently in use. Include "debian/librules.mk" just after that line. Precede it with a variable definition "librules_native_pkg=yes" if the package you are building is a Debian native package. Define a target debian/stamp/build that builds the package (like the build target does in conventional debian/rules files). Put "touch $@" as the last action in that rule. For every binary package you want to build: - If the package is "arch: all", make debian/stamp/binary/indep depend on debian/stamp/binary/; otherwise make debian/stamp/binary/arch depend on that target - Write a target debian/stamp/binary/ using the following template: debian/stamp/binary/: package= debian/stamp/binary/: debian/stamp/build $(prebinary) # Add here your own commands $(postbinary) touch $@ The $(prebinary) macro will create a skeletal build tree for the package. It also installs debian/prerm. and debian/postinst. as the prerm and postinst scripts; it will also install the copyright file (debian/copyright) and the Debian changelog file (debian/changelog). See below for instructions about how to write your own install commands. The $(postbinary) macro fixes directory permissions, generates the binary control file and builds the package. - You may want to define targets "clean", "clean-binary" and "clean-build" to reverse the effects of your own commands in the build and binary targets. The librules.mk file cleans up for itself, you don't need to worry about that. How to write your own commands for binary targets: Use the following macros to install files: $(install_exec) SOURCE TARGET $(install_exec) SOURCE SOURCE ... DIRECTORY installs one or more binary executables (TARGET need not be a directory name) $(install_nonex) SOURCE TARGET $(install_nonex) SOURCE SOURCE ... DIRECTORY install one or more non-executable files (TARGET need not be a directory name) $(install_dir) DIRECTORY create the directory $(install_script) SOURCE TARGET $(install_script) SOURCE SOURCE ... DIRECTORY install one or more executable scripts (TARGET need not be a directory name) The macros above are wrappers around the "install" utility. $(install_symlink) SOURCE [TARGET] Install a symlink from SOURCE to TARGET (This macro is a wrapper around ln -s) $(gzip) FILE ... Compress the given files (This is a wrapper around gzip) $(strip_lib) FILE ... Strip the given files the way shared libraries are stripped (This is a wrapper around strip) *Never* refer to a file in the install target tree by their real name. Use the following macros instead: $(rootdir) - the directory that masquerades as / in the target tree (usually a subdirectory under debian/tmp) $(ctldir) - the directory where control files are installed (usually $(rootdir)/DEBIAN) $(bindir) - the main binary directory (usually $(rootdir)/usr/bin) $(docdir) - the main doc directory (usually $(rootdir)/usr/share/doc/) ... (see librules.mk for what's available) If your debian/rules needs the dpkg-architecture variables, add the definition "librules_need_archvars=yes" before the include at the top of the file. If you use this feature, you need to Build-Depend on "dpkg-dev (>= 1.4.1.5)". If you want to patch/unpatch the package, add the definitions "librules_patch_support=yes" and "librules_patches=file1.diff file2.diff ... filen.diff" before the include at the top of the file. If you use this, you need to Build-Depend on "patch".