Thank you for the quick and concise reply. I was looking at DH_INSTALL(1) instead. Why is the documentation split between the two files? Also, looking back at DH_INSTALL(1) I see a line that appears to be contradicting the documentation in debhelper(7):
> dh_install cannot rename files or directories, it can only install them with the names they already have into wherever you want in the package build tree. > However, renaming can be achieved by using dh-exec with compatibility level 9 or later. An example debian/ package.install file using dh-exec could look like: > #!/usr/bin/dh-exec > debian/default.conf => /etc/my-package/start.conf > Please remember the following three things: > • > The package must be using compatibility level 9 or later (see debhelper(7)) > • > The package will need a build-dependency on dh-exec. > • > The install file must be marked as executable. This requires the ".install" file to be both an executable and have a simple syntax. Here's another question, is there documentation to how these executable install scripts are supposed to look? I wouldn't know where to start. In any way, I find the documentation to be lacking. There should be a big red flag on setting the ".install" file as an executable. I was not able to find the answer to my woes in online or offline resources for days of work. An error message saying "Are you sure foo.install is meant to be run as an executable"? would be nice, however if such practice is frowned upon a notice that is more than a side note in the docs will make a big difference. Making Debian packages should be a friendly process, I'm the first person in my company to even try making one, with some people here having over ten years of experience with Linux, and it's exactly opaque errors like this that prevent people from using this essential feature in software development. On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 3:45 PM, gregor herrmann <gre...@debian.org> wrote: > On Sun, 17 Jun 2018 10:10:21 +0000, nadavr wrote: > > > dh_install tries to run files listed in my ".install" file instead > > of adding them when the ".install" file has executable permissions. > > This also results in errors when listed files prompt errors in the > > default shell interperter (why wouldn't they?). > > Once the executable bit is gone, everything works fine. > > I don't see any reason for this to happen, and no documentation. > > It's on purpose, and it's documented in debhelper(7): > > DEBHELPER CONFIG FILES > > Many debhelper commands make use of files in debian/ to > control what they do. Besides the common debian/changelog and > debian/control, which are in all packages, not just those > using debhelper, some additional files can be used to > configure the behavior of specific debhelper commands. These > files are typically named debian/package.foo (where package of > course, is replaced with the package that is being acted on). > > … > > The syntax of these files is intentionally kept very simple to > make them easy to read, understand, and modify. If you prefer > power and complexity, you can make the file executable, and > write a program that outputs whatever content is appropriate > for a given situation. When you do so, the output is not > further processed to expand wildcards or strip comments. > > > Cheers, > gregor > > -- > .''`. https://info.comodo.priv.at -- Debian Developer > https://www.debian.org > : :' : OpenPGP fingerprint D1E1 316E 93A7 60A8 104D 85FA BB3A 6801 8649 > AA06 > `. `' Member VIBE!AT & SPI Inc. -- Supporter Free Software Foundation > Europe > `- NP: Las Primas: Bombon Chocolata > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > > iQKTBAEBCgB9FiEE0eExbpOnYKgQTYX6uzpoAYZJqgYFAlsmV99fFIAAAAAALgAo > aXNzdWVyLWZwckBub3RhdGlvbnMub3BlbnBncC5maWZ0aGhvcnNlbWFuLm5ldEQx > RTEzMTZFOTNBNzYwQTgxMDREODVGQUJCM0E2ODAxODY0OUFBMDYACgkQuzpoAYZJ > qgZ1Hg/7B7HYqlVzfC3wkVSYQxzoMD4yE4cFJrsRd3q9xMVp87iXLPLhrAGROBJx > tHy8If2Lk6gmJFy23kCF3iz5S/smTv5YHxelJQBzsI3kb6Pe+3pyvPbkFRehW20t > A9G8Oe1OmJwVKGhElA22bpsUIjZSniRsQAc01NXj+xDV79gUCeT4Iav+NkdfqKF8 > aCmLunRf4OZ31XiiOv9izRUDfN89LpFUUKQ+JJSH2ouDA7j0rYPRYD2MTShd/SOH > pD6/zIf/OP8d6tMcsJtFr6Q/Xl+gVOZcVMC6zKVZq28N+P4F1a/cZ2BhKlHgTDr2 > XrFPOybsAVaDLO+zV+8m2TSi0KNFvq4XwTnEPDdIZn/Y2PQHbwlWxlvBFUjYuifx > wXouNv57meTzllM8uojuaQ/oz+IFRfROQ5D0rNF9oMtw78SXKmlZqd8hi9s10nUP > i0qpGEBarmIROC4Pdx+xPmuFl5o4Tg3Jp3QsFSivfC6P/M+/HGyRf8ylU6aNl35H > X931yx92d3mt2S6XeqiGyVNVP4xBqh6CBATjm4zKJOKNCFy1V1EkJLmq/RcLpdaZ > H0Rcad++fJT3ZSyMqOwMKp8RQxgPOF1Vr4Mvjhxdmf+EU8wT3p+S+a2C5gkH6iai > fM8fXc4bXhMCWQ/wOLIQRSfw35h8P0ksb8QxQaOlPocfuotOOE0= > =HsoX > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > -- Regards, Nadav Ruskin
