[00:55] <sticky_fingers> can anybody tell me where I can get some examples of debconf config files and also templeate files. I am a little confued about the frontend part and how it i called. Also where it stires its info and how to rm all of it in postrm. Thanks
[00:55] <sticky_fingers> I have read all joey hess stuff
[00:56] <cjwatson> 'man debconf-devel'
[00:56] <cjwatson> frontend part: packages do not need to know
[00:56] <cjwatson> where it stores its info: in the debconf database, by default in /var/cache/debconf/
[00:57] <cjwatson> how to rm all of it in postrm: dh_installdebconf sets this up for you
[01:01] <sticky_fingers> thanks cjwatson
[01:02] <sticky_fingers> I have read the man page and also debconf.conf.
[01:02] <sticky_fingers> funny that there is no tutorial video on the issue
[01:02] <sticky_fingers> I guess that many people dont use ?
[01:04] <sticky_fingers> I see I put Frontend inn my config file then put that in /debian/source/DEBIAN
[01:04] <sticky_fingers> along with temlet files
[01:05] <sticky_fingers> like
[01:05] <sticky_fingers> # This is a sample config file that is
[01:05] <sticky_fingers>          # sufficient to use debconf.
[01:05] <sticky_fingers>          Config: configdb
[01:05] <sticky_fingers>         Frontend: dialog  Templates: templatedb
[01:05] <sticky_fingers> I am calling dialog
[01:06] <sticky_fingers> sweet and thanks
[01:06] <sticky_fingers> I see why  pre depends in the controol file can be cool now
[01:23] <cjwatson> Very few people in this line of work use tutorial videos.
[01:23] <cjwatson> In my experience.
[01:23] <cjwatson> Generally you should not be touching the capitalised DEBIAN directory directly.
[01:24] <cjwatson> And you should certainly not be writing out that config file with "Config: configdb" etc. in it.  That's what goes in /etc/debconf.conf, which comes with the system.  Packages shouldn't touch it.
[01:24] <cjwatson> Pre-Depends should be used only with care and typically only after discussion.
[01:24] <cjwatson> There's certainly a place for it, but it can do bad things to upgrades if you're not careful.
[01:24] <cjwatson> And it's often unnecessary.
[02:32] <bobweaver> Thanks for all the tips cjwatson
[02:33] <bobweaver> but when you say that very few people in your line of work dont use video tutorials. what do they use ? or did you go to school. Just wondering do I can also learn "the right way so to say " thanks :)
[02:35] <cjwatson> Text documentation is much better at conveying this kind of information.  You can copy and paste from it, you can search it, you can page back and forward and read at your own pace, and so on.
[02:36] <cjwatson> I guess there are some people who learn better from videos; I'm just saying that not many of them seem to be involved in packaging.
[02:36] <bobweaver> yea but what about use peps with dyslisia
[02:36] <cjwatson> Probably not very well-served at the moment, I'm afraid, although I do know of some Ubuntu developers with dyslexia who seem to get along.
[02:37] <bobweaver> cool
[02:37] <cjwatson> Also some blind developers.
[02:37] <bobweaver> that gives me hope
[02:37] <cjwatson> (Though I expect text is strictly better than video for them!)
[02:37]  * bobweaver nods
[02:38] <cjwatson> Isn't being able to copy and paste pretty useful if you're dyslexic, anyway?
[02:38] <bobweaver> no not really because it is the way that you persive what you are reading
[02:39] <bobweaver> pre-sieve *
[02:39] <bobweaver> I ahve what is know as nonsence word dysilica
[02:39] <cjwatson> Right, but output is a problem as well as input, as I understand it
[02:39] <bobweaver> yes that is correct
[02:39] <cjwatson> And packaging files aren't going to be tolerant of typos
[02:40] <cjwatson> So having something to copy and paste from seems like it'd be a useful aid
[02:40] <bobweaver> code is different to me as it has things that are like start and stop ect
[02:40] <bobweaver> but I mess up all the time :)
[02:40] <bobweaver> so yeah manual are great
[02:46] <cjwatson> The other thing that makes videos hard to do is that packaging is pretty non-linear - lots of branches depending on what you're doing
[02:46] <cjwatson> There are some slides presentations on packaging you might be able to dig up, and I guess some of those might come with videos
[02:46] <cjwatson> *slide presentations
[02:46] <cjwatson> But I don't have any specific pointers
[02:46] <cjwatson> And they probably don't exist for each specific niche
[02:49] <bobweaver> I am sorry if I am dense here with this debconf   I am going to try and explain whre I am not understanding   here is what I have to make into debconf 3 things for questions and answerers thisis how I was doing before http://paste.ubuntu.com/936330/   so I would like to make this all happen at once at the start maybe in preinst I gather that I have to take and make a templetes file and also a configs file I think then in the templets file
[02:49] <bobweaver> is where I hold anwsers and questions to be printed to the screen that are called using the config file but how is that called by the preinst ?
[02:49] <cjwatson> You use a config file for asking lots of things at once at the start, not a preinst.
[02:50] <bobweaver> sweet thanks
[02:50] <cjwatson> A preinst isn't necessary here as far as I can see.
[02:50] <cjwatson> (This is called "preconfiguration" in debconf-speak.)
[02:51] <cjwatson> Yes, you need to write a templates file describing the questions you want to ask.
[02:52] <cjwatson> Some of those questions shouldn't be asked at all, though; the FQDN can be picked up from the system, rather than asked again by individual packages.
[02:52] <bobweaver> these are the things that must happen at postinst I think then package is done for tonight http://paste.ubuntu.com/936336/
[02:52] <bobweaver> yeah I could fix that great idea thanks !!
[02:52] <cjwatson> Likewise, most packages that think they need to know your public IP address are mistaken, although there are a tiny handful that actually do.
[02:53] <bobweaver> you can see where I call all the vars in the 2nd paste
[02:53] <bobweaver> where I am guessing that I am going to be calling some sorta db_go or something like that I was reading about
[02:53] <cjwatson> Don't sed /etc/apache2/apache2.conf; non-apache packages aren't permitted to do that.  You should ship a sites-available fragment instead, I think.
[02:54] <cjwatson> Use adduser (and addgroup if necessary) to create users and groups, not groupadd and useradd.  Check the section in the Debian Policy Manual about which ID ranges you may use.
[02:54] <cjwatson> Don't hardcode user and group IDs.
[02:55] <cjwatson> Your postinst needs to work correctly if run more than once, so think about all those cases where you're inserting lines.  Maybe they should be substitutions on a template or something instead.
[02:56] <cjwatson> You really shouldn't fiddle with /etc/postfix/main.cf or /etc/dovecot/dovecot.conf; those are owned by the respective packages.  I don't know if those particular packages offer a better mechanism.
[02:56] <bobweaver> that is awesome like make foo/var1
[02:56] <cjwatson> Ditto /etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf and /etc/bind/named.conf.
[02:56] <cjwatson> The postinst shouldn't compile files.  Do that at build time and ship the compiled objects.
[02:57] <bobweaver> like zsudo
[02:57] <cjwatson> Yes.
[02:57] <bobweaver> I can also take out cron correct
[02:57] <cjwatson> Get somebody competent at security to check whether you need zsudo at all.  Extra set-id binaries are worrisome.
[02:58] <cjwatson> Shipping a file in /etc/cron.d/ is fine, although I don't quite see why you need to touch it and set its mode in the postinst.
[02:58] <bobweaver> yeah it is just a moudual that is not needed
[02:58] <cjwatson> If you need to ship one, just include it in the package.
[02:58] <bobweaver> oh yeah the /debian folder cron one
[02:58] <cjwatson> SQL_LINE_NO=`expr $SQL_LINE + 1`  more efficient as  SQL_LINE_NO=$(($SQL_LINE + 1))  (etc.)
[02:58] <bobweaver> or in make file ?
[02:59] <bobweaver> I will post make file
[02:59] <cjwatson> that depends whether the cron job is maintained as part of the package or by the upstream developers
[02:59]  * cjwatson -> bed, yikes, 4am
[02:59] <bobweaver> ok thanks for your help again cjwatson
[03:00] <cjwatson> no problem
[03:00] <cjwatson> looks like it's getting gradually simpler
[03:00] <bobweaver> yup I am also seeing that
[03:00] <bobweaver> esp postinst
[03:00] <bobweaver> I would like to get that out there as most things say try not to use
[03:01] <cjwatson> This package probably has an excuse for some postinst code, but yes, the less of it the better, generally
[03:01] <cjwatson> Features are an asset but code is a liability, and all that stuff
[03:01] <cjwatson> Anyway, bed
[03:04] <bobweaver> cya thanks again
[07:14] <dholbach> good morning
[11:03]  * bregma_ sips his coffee
[19:17] <Laney> quiet day :O
[19:19] <highvoltage> moo
[19:22] <micahg> ScottK: the request is invalid, but the package was syncd
[19:22] <ScottK> micahg: We both sync'ed it.
[19:23] <ScottK> Looks like yours won.
[19:24] <micahg> ScottK: ah, ok, I figured you accepted it :)
[19:24] <ScottK> I did.
[19:25] <ScottK> Unseeded Universe isn't frozen, so I ran syncpackage and since it was there in the queue, I accepted it.
[19:25] <ScottK> But it was yours.
[19:25] <jtaylor> freeze is tuesday right?
[19:26] <ScottK> I don't remember.
[19:26] <jtaylor> still need to get a ipython bugfix release in :/
[19:26]  * Laney looks for a schooltool ffe
[19:27] <Laney> oh. someone accepted it
[23:27] <nigelb> 4/ws 20