debconf

[Bob Hilliard <hilliard@debian.org>]

     dict-web1913 is an empty package to assist the transition to
dict-gcide.  dictd will silently fail on startup if not all of the
dictionaries listed in /etc/dictd.conf are not present.  The default
conffile includes an `include' line that makes it unnecessary for the
user to update it when a dictionary package is added, removed or
renamed.

     If a user has removed the `include' line, or has prepared his own
conffile, he must modify /etc/dictd.conf when dict-web1913 is replaced
with dict-gcide.  I wish to include a debconf note warning the user of
this IF his conffile doesn't include the `include' line.

     dict-web1913_1.4-0.47pd-5 includes the following config file:

! /bin/sh
 set -e
if ! grep -q "^include /var/lib/dictd/db.list"  /etc/dictd.conf
then
. /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
db_input critical dict-web1913/reconf ||true
db_go
fi

and the following postinst file:

#! /bin/sh
set -e
if ! grep -q "^include /var/lib/dictd/db.list"  /etc/dictd.conf
then
        . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
fi

     It also includes a templates file starting:

Template: dict-web1913/reconf
Type: note
 Description: Replace dict-web1913 with dict-gcide in /etc/dictd.conf
        .      .         .         .
          (balance snipped to save space)

     When I install dict-web1913 with dpkg, I get the following
DEBCONF_DEBUG message:

Setting up dict-web1913 (1.4-0.47pd-5) ...
debconf (developer): frontend started
debconf (developer): frontend running, package name is dict-web1913
debconf (developer): starting /var/lib/dpkg/info/dict-web1913.config configure 1.4-0.47pd-5
debconf (developer): <-- INPUT critical dict-web1913/reconf
debconf (developer): --> 0 question will be asked
debconf (developer): <-- GO 
Configuring Dict-web1913
------------------------

debconf (developer): --> 0 ok
debconf (developer): starting /var/lib/dpkg/info/dict-web1913.postinst configure 1.4-0.47pd-5
debconf (developer): --> 0 

     In response to an earlier posting on this list, I was advised to
add `db_get dict-web1913/reconf' to the postinst.  With that
modification, I get the same DEBCONF_DEBUG message, with the following
line inserted before the final line.

debconf (developer): <-- GET dict-web1913/reconf

     I dpkg --purge dict-web1913 before each new trial installation.
The note is never displayed.  However, after the installation the
dict-web1913 stanza in /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is:
Name: dict-web1913/reconf
Template: dict-web1913/reconf
Value: 
Owners: dict-web1913
Flags: seen

     How can I make debconf display this message?

Bob     
-- 
   _
  |_)  _  |_       Robert D. Hilliard      <hilliard@debian.org>
  |_) (_) |_)      1294 S.W. Seagull Way   <bob@bobhilliard.net>
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