Ubuntu PPA

Owned by Daniel Stonier
Last updated: Mar 31, 2021
4 min read


Resources

Creating the PPA

Setup on a New PC


From 2. Getting Setup
# Required build tools are mostly all under meta-package packaging-dev
sudo apt-get install packaging-dev python-stdeb python3-stdeb
# If you need to create the key, follow the instructions in 2. Getting Setup
# Or import your private/public key, e.g. to quickly import the public key
# (you'll have to get the private key separately so you can do signing)
gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv 46301634
# Get pbuilder ready for distro=xenial
pbuilder-dist xenial create
# Bazaar connected to launchpad
bzr whoami "Daniel Stonier <d.stonier@gmail.com>"
bzr launchpad-login stonier
# Environment Variables
export DEBFULLNAME="Daniel Stonier"
export DEBEMAIL="d.stonier@gmail.com"
# My ppas
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:d-stonier/snorriheim
gpg --export --armor 46301634 | sudo apt-key add - && sudo apt-get update

Python

Resources

Method

From 2. Getting Setup
# Download from pip
pip download yujin_tools
# Build the source distribution folder (this sets unstable->xenial in debian/changelog)
py2dsc --suite xenial yujin_tools*.tar.gz
# Sign it
cd deb_dist/yujin-tools*/debian; debuild -S -sa
# Upload
cd deb_dist; dput ppa:d-stonier/snorriheim yujin-tools_*_source.changes

Successfully uploaded packages - NOT

Beware of the dput command telling you that it has successfully uploaded packages. It actually fails for many reasons and you will get an email within 15mins with the actual response to this command.

Other

  • Create a stdeb.cfg and use with py2dsc --extra-cfg-file stdeb.cfg yujin_tools*.tar.gz
  • PPA builds always run dh_auto_test - make sure you have Build-Depends in stdeb.cfg to support this
  • If the tests are broken (frequently the case for ros packages because they don't install all test files), would be nice to disable tests, but no way that I know of with stdeb yet.
  • Might be able to do a bzr builddeb -S and push as per the packaging new software guide after generating the source distribution with py2dsc

Re-Releasing on Other Distros

CMake

The dh builder is able to automagically recognise a cmake project so just get the cmake project sources sitting along with the debian subfolder and bob's your uncle. Some magic for setting cmake variables though.

From 2. Getting Setup
#!/usr/bin/make -f

%:
	dh $@

override_dh_auto_configure:
	dh_auto_configure -- -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/snorriheim

Note that installing to /opt is forbidden by ubuntu ppa's.

Debian Files

To generate some example files, run dh_make -f <source tarball>, or better still, run bzr dh-make as in the Packaging New Software (Ubuntu Packaging Guide) which is more likely to get you something exactly correct.

I'm custom hacking things with dpkg-buildpackage and debbuild right now to be both more flexible and to get a better understanding of how it works. However, it may have been better to strictly follow the bzr/udd/ubuntu way since there are alot of mechanisms you've got to get right (original tarballs, debian revision numbers) and that also has a great lintian check as well as (sandboxed?) pbuilder method. Another option is to follow the git way, like OSRF did.


Control

Great references are in the debian developer manual and ubuntu debian folder overview.

  • Source Fields
    • Priority - all my packages are optional
    • Section - use lower case version of those listed on the ubuntu packages web site (xenial)
    • Standards-Version - get from the bottom of the debian policy guide.
  • Binary Fields

Compat

You'll need this now, it specifies the version of debhelper you need. Just populate it with a '9'

Rules

Instruct on how to build the package. Typically the dh builder will auto-detect your package - autotools, cmake, make, ... and create appropriate targets itself and so all you need here is:

Default Rules
#!/usr/bin/make -f

%:
	dh $@

But you can override individual targets by creating override_dh_auto_xyz targets of your own. A common case is overriding the install rule so that it does not go to /usr/local e.g.:

Default Rules
#!/usr/bin/make -f

%:
	dh $@

override_dh_auto_install:
	$(MAKE) install PREFIX=$(CURDIR)/debian/ttygif/usr

Changelog

There is a useful tool called dch that can be run from the parent directory of the debian folder.  For more information, read the changelog section of the ubuntu debian control guide.

From 2. Getting Setup
# First time
dch --create
# Incrementing the debian revision number and pre-pending (the vendor thing is broken, but this avoids an ubuntu suffix)
dch -i --distribution=xenial --urgency=low --increment --vendor=override