Hacking on Ubuntu Accomplishments

Packaging

What follows are basic steps required to build and upload any of the accomplishments packages. This is not meant to be an exhaustive guide.

Prerequisites

1. Install build-essential
2. Set DEBEMAIL and DEBFULLNAME in your .bash_aliases file (or somewhere it will get picked up). For example:

DEBEMAIL=foo@bar.com
DEBFULLNAME='Foo Bar'

1. Have gpg key registered on launchpad and also installed on your dev box.

Steps

1. Modify the debian/changelog. You use dch to do this. Run dch -i to do the initial edit and dch -a to do subsequent ones. Make sure that the email address is correct, the distroseries is correct (precise, for example) and make sure that the version is right. dch will try to set the version for you and it will almost always be wrong.

2. Build the binary package with dpkg-buildpackage. Watch for lintian errors, which will start with "W:" or "E:".

dpkg-buildpackage

1. Make sure the package looks okay, you may even want to install it somewhere.

2. Build the source package, this is what you will actually upload. You build it with debuild and a few options. As before watch for lintian errors.

debuild -i -I -sa -S

1. Load the source.changes file, which will be one directory up from where you are, and look it over to make sure stuff is sane. The file name will be <package>_<version>_source.changes.

2. dput the source.changes file. The PPA in launchpad will tell you the exact PPA name to use.

dput <ppa name> ../<package>_<version>_source.changes

1. Wait and watch the build and publish take place!

2. Don't forget to commit and push any changes you made to the code or debian files during this process. If you commit them first with debcommit -r, the code will be tagged with the release number used before.