Re: Computing Build-Depends at build time (and other updates to debian/control)?

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Ian Jackson writes ("Re: Computing Build-Depends at build time (and other updates to debian/control)?"):
> If you want to catch failures of the maintainer to do the update, you
> can run your autogenerator in some kind of checking mode during
> debian/rules.  The result will be that your package FTBFS when the
> control file is out of date.  This is only a reasonable thing to do if
> the control file depends only on other things in the same source
> package.

Here is an example from one of my own packages.  It concerns
debian/tests/control but the same principles apply:

https://browse.dgit.debian.org/dgit.git/tree/tests/tests/test-list-uptodate
https://browse.dgit.debian.org/dgit.git/tree/debian/tests/control.in
https://browse.dgit.debian.org/dgit.git/tree/debian/tests/control
https://browse.dgit.debian.org/dgit.git/tree/tests/enumerate-tests

> If your control file depends on anything else, such a check would
> probably be an inconvenience (or worse) to anyone trying to backport
> your package, and might hinder security updates too.

I have quoted that again because I think it's important and don't want
it overlooked.

Ian.

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