Re: unused-file-paragraph-in-dep5-copyright

[Niels Thykier <niels@thykier.net>]

Sascha Manns:
> Hello list,
> 
> i prepared a copyright file on [1].
> 
> A debuild gives me a:
> 
> [...]
> 
> But if i understand it right, it uses the field in the same way, as [2]
> it describes.
> 
> Can anyone tell me more?
> 
> [1] https://git.launchpad.net/~ignore-me/ignore-me/+git/packaging/tree/
> debian/debian/copyright
> [2] https://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
> 

Hi,

The issue is that the paragraphs are applied in order "top to bottom"
with "later entries overriding previous ones".  In the case of ignore-me:

"""
Files: src/*
[...]

Files: m4/nls.m4
[...]

Files: m4/lib-prefix.m4
[...]

Files: m4/lib-ld.m4
[...]

Files: m4/gettext.m4
[...]

Files: m4/pkg.m4
[...]

Files: po/*
[...]

Files: *
[...]

[... more paragraphs ...]
"""

Notice the "Files: *" will override all entries before it.  Therefore,
all the paragraphs before it are "redundant" and trigger the lintian
warning as they are now "unused".

To solve this issue, you will have to rewrite or re-order the copyright
file so the more general entries (E.g. Files: *) goes in the top and
more specific entries are moved to the bottom of the file.

Thanks,
~Niels