main-menu, udeb, debconf

[David Whedon <dwhedon@gordian.com>]

I was playing with the demo system and it isn't clear to me how udebs, debconf
and the main-menu will interact.  Here are my thoughts, this mostly comes out of
looking at main-menu.c, playing with debconf, and looking at the demo, if this
is documented somewhere, I didn't see it:

<package>.menutest : each main-menu udeb will have script that checks to see if
that item is completed.  return 1 to indicate completion, 0 otherwise.  These
scripts are installed in the debian/<package>/DEBIAN directory.

All main-menu udebs need to register themselves with the main menu by putting
the line:
XBC-Installer-Menu-Item: 1
in their control file.

All main-menu udebs should be configurable via debconf. In fact, they do their
work through the configuration system. This is a slightly confusing use of the
word 'configure' (example: when you configure the disk partitioning udeb you
are partitioning your disk, not simply getting ready to do it.)  That confused
me at first, but now it makes sense.  They will have relavent templates/config
files that allow the udeb to peform it's function (configure the network,
partition a disk, etc.).  The config file will be executed 'dpkg-(re)configure
<package>'.

It looks like, to some extent, their can be two classes of udebs.  The main
menu udebs need only depend on whatever tools they need to accomplish their
function. (configure the network depends on: various modules, dhcp, ppp,
ethernet/modem detection), and they have a debconf config file that spells out
how they accomplish their task.  They need not have any more meat than that.

The other class of udebs are more like typical debs.  They contain tools that
are installed in the system.  They don't necessarily need to interact with
debconf themselves, as the main-menu udebs will use them.

Does this make sense, is it what Joey has in mind?

David