Overriding or disabling ${python:Depends} at stdeb bdist_deb invocation

Question

I am trying to package my Python software with stdeb:

python setup.py --command-packages=stdeb.command bdist_deb

which works fine.

Unfortunately, stdeb adds the variable ${python:Depends} to the debian/control file. This placeholder is automatically processed by dh_python2 from debhelper and gets replaced by a string containing multiple Python versions, e.g.: "python2.7, python (>= 2.7.1-0ubuntu2), python (<< 2.8)".

How can I get rid of these automatically added Python versions or how can I override ${python:Depends}?

Note: The actual problem is the python dependency. The target system provides the package python2.7 with version 2.7.3, but python is still at 2.6.6.

FYI, it looks like this is the same issue as https://github.com/astraw/stdeb/issues/49. — Mu Mind, Oct 25 '14 at 05:49

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 22 '13 at 03:30

1

What you actually need to do instead is to add something like X-Python-Version: >= 2.6 to source package in debian/control and to add python-all or python-all-dev to Build-Depends. This will work if you're building for the right suite where python-all depends on both python2.6 and python2.7. It is a good idea to use pbuilder in order to build for target system especially if it is different from your development environment. Please do not override ${python:Depends} -- it is wrong and will do no good.

answered Jun 22 '13 at 03:30

Onlyjob

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I ended up hacking the file `util.py` right within stdeb's source code. I replaced `${misc:Depends}` and `${python:Depends}` with the desired Python dependency I need. But you're correct: The best way would be to use `pbuilder`. – w177us Aug 05 '13 at 09:36
What you're doing is shocking. Just replace `${python:Depends}` in `debian/control` with `${my:Depends}` and add `override_dh_gencontrol` to `debian/rules` as follows: `dh_gencontrol -- -Vmy:Depends="pkg1, pkg2"` – Onlyjob Aug 06 '13 at 04:04
Can you give more details about using pbuilder? – Mu Mind Oct 25 '14 at 06:07
See http://pbuilder.alioth.debian.org, [pbuilder$8$](http://manpages.debian.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=pbuilder&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=Debian+7.0+wheezy&format=html&locale=en), https://wiki.debian.org/PbuilderTricks – Onlyjob Oct 27 '14 at 02:52

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 31 '13 at 13:06

You can force the stdeb python dependencies through XS-Python-Version option. For instance, by creating stdeb.cfg file with:

[DEFAULT]
XS-Python-Version: 2.6

Other means to set this options may be setupg.cfg in [sdist_dsc] section, or in command line (sdist_desc --xs-python-version 2.6 bdist_deb) but it did not actually work for me.

Overriding or disabling ${python:Depends} at stdeb bdist_deb invocation

2 Answers2