Re: How do I create a symbols file?

[Jakub Wilk <jwilk@debian.org>]

* Paul Elliott <pelliott@blackpatchpanel.com>, 2011-08-24, 04:57:
> lintian -I says I should create a symbols file.

What lintian actually says is:

I: no-symbols-control-file
N:
N:   Although the package includes a shared library, the package does not
N:   have a symbols control file.
N:   
N:   dpkg can use symbols files in order to generate more accurate library
N:   dependencies for applications, based on the symbols from the library
N:   that are actually used by the application.
N:   
N:   Refer to the dpkg-gensymbols(1) manual page and
N:   http://wiki.debian.org/UsingSymbolsFiles for details.
N:   
N:   Severity: wishlist, Certainty: certain
N:   
N:   Check: shared-libs, Type: binary, udeb
N:

This is hardly a "should".

> But Debian Library Packaging guide

You should really not read this document. It consists of things that are 
either:
1) irrelevant or
1) vague or
2) simply wrong or
3) already covered by the Debian Policy.

> nor Debian New Maintainers' Guide tells me exactly how to create such a 
> file or how to name it.

The New Maintainer's Guide is about packaging basics, so certainly not 
about packaging libraries.

--
Jakub Wilk