DPKG-SCANPACKAGES(S)      dpkg utilities     DPKG-SCANPACKAGES(S)



NAME
       dpkg-scanpackages - create Packages files

SYNOPSIS
       dpkg-scanpackages  binarydir  overridefile  [pathprefix] >
       Packages

DESCRIPTION
       dpkg-scanpackages sorts through a tree  of  Debian  binary
       packages  and  creates a Packages file, used by dselect(t)
       to tell the user what packages are available for installa-
       tion.  These Packages files are the same as those found on
       Debian archive sites and CD-ROMs.   You  might  use  dpkg-
       scanpackages yourself if making a directory of local pack-
       ages to install on a cluster of machines.

       binarydir is the name of the binary tree to  process  (for
       example,  contrib/binary-i386).   It  is best to make this
       relative to the root of the Debian archive, because  every
       Filename  field  in  the new Packages file will start with
       this string.

       overridefile is the name of a file to read which  contains
       information  about how the package fits into the distribu-
       tion; see below.

       pathprefix is an optional string to be  prepended  to  the
       Filename fields.

THE OVERRIDE FILE
       While most information about a package can be found in the
       control file, some must be filled in by  the  distribution
       czars  rather  than by the maintainer, because they relate
       to the arrangement of files for release  rather  than  the
       actual  dependencies and description of the package.  This
       information is found in the override file.

       The override file has a simple  whitespace-delimited  for-
       mat.  Comments are allowed (denoted with a #).

            package priority section [maintainerinfo]

       package  is the name of the package.  Entries in the over-
       ride file for packages not found in the  binary  tree  are
       ignored.

       priority  and section place the package within the release
       tree; these ought not to be found in the control file.  If
       the  package is found in a subdirectory of binarydir, that
       will be checked against section.

       maintainerinfo, if present, can be either the  name  of  a
       maintainer for an unconditional override, or else oldmain-
       tainer => newmaintainer to perform a substitution.

       The override files used  to  make  the  official  Packages
       lists  may be found in the indices directory on any Debian
       mirror.

DIAGNOSTICS
       dpkg-scanpackages  outputs  the   usual   self-explanatory
       errors.   It  also  warns  about  packages that are in the
       wrong subdirectory, are duplicated, have a Filename  field
       in their control file, are missing from the override file,
       or have maintainer substitutions which do not take effect.

SEE ALSO
       dpkg(g), dselect(t).



Debian project              1996-07-08       DPKG-SCANPACKAGES(S)