Bug#1841: man_db problems
>>>>> "Chris" == Chris Fearnley <cjf@netaxs.com> writes:
Chris> Package: man
Chris> Version: 2.3.10
Chris> 1) man -k pattern gives error messages:
Chris> cjf@syntropy:~$ man -k ftp
Chris> apropos: warning: can't read the fallback whatis text database.
Chris> apropos: /usr/local/man/whatis: No such file or directory
Chris> ...
I would strongly suspect that you have added the new man hierachy
/usr/local/man without rerunning the mandb program to record its
contents.
How should you know you should do this? The error message is correct
but doesnt mention mandb. Running mandb was done quietly for you when
you installed the package. I suspect an extra line like in the error
output something like below is necessary:
apropos: if /usr/local/man is new you should rerun mandb.
Maybe the postinstall scripts should install /usr/local/man for you so
everything is setup correctly? - I can imagine many people falling over
this. Maybe the base package should do this?
Chris> 2) man -l to display the man page in the current directory will
Chris> overwrite the page in /var/catman/... --- NOT useful for comparing an
Chris> uninstalled man page with one already installed!
Hmm, it doesnt for me - below you can see I format a local copy of
pppd.8 and it doesnt touch the existing catman page. The man -d shows
it does the expected thing:
# cd /tmp
# cp /usr/man/man8/pppd.8 .
# ls
pppd.8
# ls -l /var/catman/cat8/pppd.8.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 man meiko 12091 Nov 13 11:27 /var/catman/cat8/pppd.8.gz
# man -l pppd.8
Reformatting pppd.8, please wait...
<shows local man page>
# ls -l /var/catman/cat8/pppd.8.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 man meiko 12091 Nov 13 11:27 /var/catman/cat8/pppd.8.gz
# man -ld pppd.8
using more -s as pager
pre-processors `' from default
format: 1, save_cat: 0, found: 1
Reformatting pppd.8, please wait...
trying command: /usr/bin/zsoelim 'pppd.8' | /usr/bin/nroff -mandoc | { export MAN_PN LESS; MAN_PN='pppd\.8'; LESS="$LESS\$-Pm\:\$ix8mPm Manual page $MAN_PN ?ltline %lt?L/%L.:byte %bB?s/%s..?e (END):?pB %pB\\%.."; more -s; }
close_catalogue()
#
Chris> 3) conflicts with man pages provided in package minicom 1.71-2. When
Chris> I type man sz I get garbage:
Chris> cjf@syntropy:~$ man -d sz >& junk
Chris> cjf@syntropy:~$ cat junk
< path stuff deleted>
Chris> ult_src: File /usr/man/man1/sz.1
Chris> found ultimate source file /usr/man/man1/sz.1
Chris> chdir /usr/man
Chris> pre-processors `Revision Level ' from file
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `R'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `v'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `i'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `s'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `i'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `o'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `n'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor ` '
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `L'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `v'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor `l'
Chris> man: ignoring unknown preprocessor ` '
Here it is trying to use the string `Revision Level' as a set of
pre-processor commands - it only understands the e for run eqn.
It does this 3 times and generates the extra garbage
If the catman page doesnt exist then you can see:
popen ("/usr/bin/zsoelim '/usr/man/man1/sz.1' | /usr/bin/neqn |
/usr/bin/neqn | /usr/bin/neqn | /usr/bin/nroff -mandoc", "r")
The problem is that the sz.1/rz.1/... man pages have the following at
the start:
'\" Revision Level
'\" Last Delta 04-21-88
.TH SZ 1 OMEN
.SH NAME
I suspect that '\" should be .\" (comment)
There is still a bug here to do with pre-processing so I will forward
this on to the man_db maintainers.
Chris> I copied the sz.1 source file into my Slackware and Red Hat partitions
Chris> and the man program included with them can read the page with no
Chris> trouble at all. Implies that man_db isn't set up robustly enough.
Probably true. :(
Chris> This is under debian 0.93R6, kernel 1.2.13, and libc 4.6.27.
Chris> BTW, I like Debian. Thanks for all the hard work!
Good. :)
--
Alvar Bray
Meiko Limited Phone: +44 1454 616171
650 Aztec West Fax: +44 1454 618188
Bristol BS12 4SD E-Mail: alvar@meiko.co.uk
England WWW:
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