Wordnet Package: (Was Re: Dictionary directory)

[Bob Hilliard <hilliard@flinet.com>]

Hi,

     DISCLAIMER: I am a new developer also, and my advice may not be
very good.  Also I am building my packages by hand, and have never
looked at any of the helper scripts, so I can't address how to make
debstd put the files where you want them.

     If I understand you correctly, you want to keep the original
source as one .orig.tar.gz, but make three binary packages, separated
as the earlier wordnet packages did.  The obvious solution would be to
make one package, but you may have good reasons for wanting to make
them separate.  

     When you say      
> Wordnet comes in different directories:
>      dict/
>      man/
>      paper/
>      src/

do you mean that the source unpacks into those three directories?
Does the upstream Makefile have separate targets to make in all four
directories, and does it have separate install targets for each
directory?

     To make multiple binary packages, you have to branch the debian
tree into debian/tmp, debian/tmp-2, debian/tmp-3, etc.  (You could
make them debian/tmp, debian/tmp-base and debian/tmp-doc if you like
mnemonic names).  I am aware of two techniques for getting the build
files into the proper debian/tmp* tree.  One is to let the Makefile
build and install into debian/tmp, them move each file from the
debian/tmp tree to the appropriate debian/tmp-? tree.  This is most
useful when only a few files need be moved.

     The other is to manipulate variables in a "$(MAKE) install"
statement in the rules file.  This can be done by hacking the variable
assignments in the Makefile, or by defining variables in the rules
file, then $(MAKE) install varname=$(VARNAME) where varname is the
variable used in the Makefile install target and VARNAME is the
variable defined in the rules file.  In this case, depending on how
the Makefile is set up, you may have to hack the Makefile to use var1,
var2, etc., and define VAR1, VAR2, etc. in the rules file.  Depending
on how the upstream package is set up, you may have to do this in the
Makefiles in each of the subdirectories, with different variables
defined. 

     Any modifications you make should be in Makefile.in, not the
Makefile itself, so they will be preserved when the configure target
is run.  Any such Makefile hacks should be documented in your
changelog file.

     I have one package that produces two .debs from one source, and I
am now working on one that will produce four .debs.  Later this
evening I will send you copies of the rules file and Makefile for
these to illustrate what I am talking about.

     I hope this helps.

Bob
-- 
   _
  |_)  _  |_       Robert D. Hilliard    <hilliard@flinet.com>
  |_) (_) |_)      Palm City, FL  USA    PGP Key ID: A8E40EB9


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