Re: X: package-contains-broken-symlink question

[Niels Thykier <niels@thykier.net>]

On 2013-04-06 20:10, Felix Natter wrote:
> hi,
> 
> I am currently fixing a warning in the freeplane package,
> and am wondering whether this lintian feature works correctly.
> 

It works but there is a limit to what it can do.

> X: freeplane: package-contains-broken-symlink
> usr/share/freeplane/framework.jar ../knopflerfish/framework.jar
> 
> (corresponds to this line in debian/freeplane.links:
> usr/share/knopflerfish/framework.jar usr/share/freeplane/framework.jar)
> 
> [...]
> 
> Could the problem be that /usr/share/knopflerfish/framework.jar is a
> symlink itself?
> 
> [...]
> 
> Thanks and Best Regards,
> 


Yes, since freeplane and knopflerfish are not built from the same
source, Lintian has no chance of knowing that the target file exist[1].
Lintian does have some exceptions (like /usr/share/java/<file>.jar)
where it assumes the target will be provided by a direct dependency.
But that does not apply here since "framework.jar" does appear to be a
"public java library" (i.e. not in /usr/share/java).

~Niels

[1] http://lintian.debian.org/manual/section-1.3.html

See "same source analysis".