Bug#148194: debian-policy: Clarification needed regarding multi-line fields
Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org> writes:
> Proposal
> ========
> I'd like «Section 5.2. "Source package control files -- `debian/control'"»
> to specify clearly[0] that the following fields contain logical lines:
> Build-Depends, Build-Depends-Indep, Build-Conflicts, Build-Conflicts-Indep,
> Pre-Depends, Depends, Recommends, Suggests, Conflicts, Replaces, Provides,
> Enhances, Uploaders
> Those fields will be unwrapped by newer dpkg scripts when generating
> the .deb, .dsc and .changes files, so the few tools that may not support
> logical lines will be able to cope just fine.
Seconded. From a lintian perspective, we're intentionally not checking
for wrapped lines in the debian/control file because all of the tools
cope.
If worried about breakage in scripts that parse the .dsc and .changes
files, I think the best thing to do would be to state that wrapping is
permitted in the debian/control file, but not permitted (except for
defined fields that already allow multiline values) in DEBIAN/control,
.changes, or .dsc files. I believe lintian currently implements exactly
this check.
I can prepare text if there's general agreement that this is the right
direction to go. I'd been meaning to propose something very much along
these lines myself.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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