Re: X: package-contains-broken-symlink question

[Felix Natter <fnatter@gmx.net>]

Niels Thykier <niels@thykier.net> writes:

> On 2013-04-06 20:10, Felix Natter wrote:
>> hi,
>> 
>> I am currently fixing a warning in the freeplane package,
>> and am wondering whether this lintian feature works correctly.
>> 
>
> It works but there is a limit to what it can do.
>
>> X: freeplane: package-contains-broken-symlink
>> usr/share/freeplane/framework.jar ../knopflerfish/framework.jar
>> 
>> (corresponds to this line in debian/freeplane.links:
>> usr/share/knopflerfish/framework.jar usr/share/freeplane/framework.jar)
>> 
>> [...]
>> 
>> Could the problem be that /usr/share/knopflerfish/framework.jar is a
>> symlink itself?
>> 
>> [...]
>> 
>> Thanks and Best Regards,
>> 
>
>
> Yes, since freeplane and knopflerfish are not built from the same
> source, Lintian has no chance of knowing that the target file exist[1].
> Lintian does have some exceptions (like /usr/share/java/<file>.jar)
> where it assumes the target will be provided by a direct dependency.
> But that does not apply here since "framework.jar" does appear to be a
> "public java library" (i.e. not in /usr/share/java).

N:    The package contains a symlink but the destination for the link does not
N:    exist in the package nor in its direct dependencies.

=> Do you think it would be a good idea to mention the "same source
analysis" here briefly, or is that understood by Debian developers?
(Or do you think that "Certainty: possible" is enough?)

> [1] http://lintian.debian.org/manual/section-1.3.html*p
>
> See "same source analysis".

Thanks for the clarification.

Best Regards,
-- 
Felix Natter