[00:08] <jayjo> rbasak: thanks for your help. Is using code imports (via https://code.launchpad.net/+code-imports/+new) for keeping remote copies, like GitHub or GitLab? Is it supposed to replace those or complement them?
[00:13] <jayjo> I'm using git-buildpackage (gbp). Would I upload the tarball of my debian/master branch (my master does not have a debian/ dir, branch debian/master does)
[00:24] <rbasak> jayjo: some Launchpad features (eg. build recipes) require a local repository. Code imports get you that if you maintain your VCS elsewhere.
[00:25] <rbasak> I'm not sure how to answer your second question. It would help if you could explain what you're actually trying to achieve.
[00:57] <jayjo> I am broadly trying to understand the debian/ubuntu packaging process better. To that end, I am trying to put a python application I've developed into my PPA, and then install it via apt-get (and also apt-offline, before that). I'm finding that most resources assume an external upstream. Because I'm both the upstream developer and the package maintainer for my project, I am using gbp with a debian/master
[00:57] <jayjo> branch which holds the debian/ directory. Because I can't just build the package myself and upload it lp, do I use a code import? and the 'name' of the import is my branch name with the debian/ dir?
[01:04] <rbasak> You can use gbp locally on your machine to generate a source package, and then upload that to the PPA. Every time you make an "upstream release" or update the packaging.
[01:06] <rbasak> Separately you can choose to keep your git repository on Launchpad (just like GitHub). If you do, then you have an additional option to have Launchpad automatically build the source package and upload it to the PPA for you. This is called a build recipe.
[01:06] <rbasak> Finally, if you don't want to keep your git repository on Launchpad but do want to keep it somewhere else (eg. GitHub), then you can use the code import feature to mirror that external git repository to Launchpad - for example to drive a build recipe.
[01:08] <rbasak> The first option is the least "magic", so if you want to learn how things are put together, I'd start there.
[01:09] <mpharoah> If you're just trying to make a new package and don't want to worry about any version control or automation or anything, you can just put your source code in a tarball named <application>-<majorVersion>.<minorVersion> (eg. myApp-1.0), then make a folder with the same name and contents, and run dh_make -f ../<your tarball name> and you will be all setup. Then setup your control file and stuff in the Debian
[01:09] <mpharoah> directory and run debuild -us- uc to build your package