lintian 2.5.10.4 / usr / share / lintian / checks / patch-systems.desc

Check-Script: patch-systems
Author: Marc Brockschmidt <he@debian.org>
Abbrev: pat
Type: source
Info: This script checks for various possible problems when using patch systems
Needs-Info: debfiles, diffstat

Tag: dpatch-build-dep-but-no-patch-list
Severity: normal
Certainty: certain
Info: Using dpatch requires you to explicitly list all patches you want
 to apply in debian/patches/00list. This package build-depends on dpatch,
 but does not provide a patch list.  You should either remove the dpatch
 build dependency or add a patch list.
 .
 Note that an empty file cannot be represented in the Debian diff, so an
 empty patch list will disappear in the source package.  If you intended
 for the series file to be empty, add a comment line.

Tag: dpatch-index-references-non-existent-patch
Severity: important
Certainty: certain
Info: In the 00list file listing all your dpatches, you referenced a file
 that does not exist. This will lead to a fatal error when calling dpatch.

Tag: dpatch-missing-description
Severity: wishlist
Certainty: certain
Info: dpatch files should carry a description of the included patch.
 Description lines start with "## DP:".
 .
 As well as a description of the purpose and function of the patch, the
 description should ideally contain author information, a URL for the bug
 report (if any), Debian or upstream bugs fixed by it, upstream status,
 the Debian version and date the patch was first included, and any other
 information that would be useful if someone were investigating the
 patch and underlying problem.  Please consider using the DEP-3 format for
 this information.
Ref: http://dep.debian.net/deps/dep3/

Tag: quilt-build-dep-but-no-series-file
Severity: normal
Certainty: certain
Info: Using quilt requires you to explicitly list all patches you want
 to apply in debian/patches/series.  This package build-depends on quilt,
 but does not provide a patch list.  You should either remove the quilt
 build dependency or add a series file.
 .
 Note that an empty file cannot be represented in the Debian diff, so an
 empty series file will disappear in the source package.  If you intended
 for the series file to be empty, add a comment line.

Tag: quilt-series-but-no-build-dep
Severity: normal
Certainty: possible
Info: The package contains a debian/patches/series file usually used by
 quilt to apply patches at build time, but quilt is not listed in the
 build dependencies.
 .
 You should either remove the series file if it's effectively not useful
 or add quilt to the build-dependencies if quilt is used during the build
 process.
 .
 If you don't need quilt during build but only during maintenance work,
 then you can override this warning.

Tag: quilt-patch-with-non-standard-options
Severity: normal
Certainty: certain
Info: The quilt series file contains non-standard options to apply some of
 the listed patches. Quilt uses '-p1' by default if nothing is specified
 after the name of the patch and the current series file specify something
 else for some of the patches listed.
 .
 For compatibility with the source "3.0 (quilt)" source package format,
 you should avoid using any option at all and make sure that your patches
 apply with "-p1". This can be done by refreshing all patches like this:
 quilt pop -a; while quilt push; do quilt refresh -pab; done

Tag: quilt-series-references-non-existent-patch
Severity: important
Certainty: certain
Info: In the series file listing all your quilt patches, you referenced a
 file that does not exist. This will lead to a fatal error when calling quilt.

Tag: quilt-patch-missing-description
Severity: wishlist
Certainty: certain
Info: quilt patch files should start with a description of patch.  All
 lines before the start of the patch itself are considered part of the
 description.  You can edit the description with <tt>quilt header -e</tt>
 when the patch is at the top of the stack.
 .
 As well as a description of the purpose and function of the patch, the
 description should ideally contain author information, a URL for the bug
 report (if any), Debian or upstream bugs fixed by it, upstream status,
 the Debian version and date the patch was first included, and any other
 information that would be useful if someone were investigating the
 patch and underlying problem.  Please consider using the DEP-3 format for
 this information.
Ref: http://dep.debian.net/deps/dep3/

Tag: patch-modifying-debian-files
Severity: important
Certainty: certain
Info: A patch stored in debian/patches/ should never modify files
 in the debian directory (even when it's only creating new files) because
 the debian directory is always directly provided by the Debian packaging.
 And you shouldn't have to modify what you choose to provide in the first
 place.
 .
 If the patch provides a new file (say a manual page), place that file
 in the upstream directory hierarchy as if it was ready to be submitted.

Tag: patch-system-but-direct-changes-in-diff
Severity: minor
Certainty: certain
Info: The package uses a patch system, but the Debian diff.gz contains
 changes to files or creation of additional files outside of the
 <tt>debian</tt> directory.  This often indicates accidental changes that
 weren't meant to be in the package or changes that were supposed to be
 separated out into a patch.  The package will also more easily support
 possible future source package formats if all changes outside the
 <tt>debian</tt> directory are stored as patches.

Tag: format-3.0-but-debian-changes-patch
Severity: minor
Certainty: certain
Info: This package declares source format 3.0 (quilt), but the Debian
 .debian.tar.gz file contains a debian-changes-VERSION patch, which represents
 direct changes to files outside of the <tt>debian</tt> directory. This often
 indicates accidental changes that weren't meant to be in the package or changes
 that were supposed to be separated out into a patch.
 .
 If this is intentional, you may wish to consider adding
 <tt>single-debian-patch</tt> to <tt>debian/source/options</tt>, and/or a patch
 header to <tt>debian/source/patch-header</tt> explaining why this is done.

Tag: more-than-one-patch-system
Severity: minor
Certainty: certain
Info: Either the build-dependencies list more than one patch system or the
 package uses the <tt>3.0 (quilt)</tt> source format but also has a
 dependency on <tt>dpatch</tt>.  It's unlikely that you need both patch
 systems at the same time, and having multiple patch systems in play
 simultaneously can make understanding and modifying the source package
 unnecessarily complex.

Tag: direct-changes-in-diff-but-no-patch-system
Severity: pedantic
Certainty: certain
Info: The Debian diff.gz contains changes to files or creation of additional
 files outside the <tt>debian</tt> directory.  Keeping the changes as separate
 patches under the control of a patch system allows for more fine grained
 control over them.  The package will also more easily support  possible
 future source package formats if all changes outside the <tt>debian</tt>
 directory are stored as patches.
 .
 If the diff only creates new files that can be copied into place by the
 package build rules, consider putting them in the <tt>debian</tt>
 directory rather than using a patch system.

Tag: patch-system-but-no-source-readme
Severity: normal
Certainty: certain
Info: This package build-depends on a patch system such as dpatch or
 quilt, but there is no <tt>debian/README.source</tt> file.  This file is
 recommended for any package where <tt>dpkg-source -x</tt> does not result
 in the preferred form for making modifications to the package.
 .
 If you are using quilt and the package needs no other special handling
 instructions, you may want to add a <tt>debian/README.source</tt>
 referring to <tt>/usr/share/doc/quilt/README.source</tt>.  Similarly, you
 can refer to <tt>/usr/share/doc/dpatch/README.source.gz</tt> for dpatch.
Ref: policy 4.14

Tag: unneeded-build-dep-on-quilt
Severity: pedantic
Certainty: possible
Info: This package build-depends on quilt, which is not required since
 dpkg-source will apply patches at unpack time for 3.0 (quilt) source
 packages.
 .
 Remember to remove any references to quilt in the rules file (e.g.
 "--with quilt", dh_quilt_* or quilt makefile includes).
 .
 This tag is meant to remind people that with 3.0 (quilt), quilt is
 not necessary.  If you keep the build-depends on quilt to ease
 backporting to older releases, then please ignore/override this tag.