Re: Creating Debian dependencies while using CPAN?

[Dominique Dumont <domi@ispserv.grenoble.hp.com>]

Christian Hammers <ch@westend.com> writes:

> Would there be a way if we modify the CPAN command line tool in such
> a way that it generates a control file automagically when getting
> a new module or taking a control file from a set of Debian created
> files (with manually edited dependencies) and decides upon this if it
> will install this module or not - CPAN modules are pretty unified 
> named and versioned so that would not be a problem.
> 
> I.e. if I say "install Net::NiceProtocol" our modified CPAN creates an
> entry in the available/status file saying
> 	Package: libnet-niceprotocol-perl
> 	Dependencies: perl-5.005, ${dh_perldep_output}
> 	Description: CPAN installed module Net::NiceProtocol
> then it would scan this blib directory and from this create a 
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/libnet-niceprotocol-perl.files, an assumation
> on dependencies based on "use" and "require" lines and maybe some
> postinst/preinst scripts and run them.

"use" and "require" are often used for modules bundled with core
perl. So you would get a lot of requirements for perl modules that
will be be debian package.

Why not use the PREREQ_PM hash that is (or supposed to be) maintained
in the Makefile.PL by perl module authors to tell CPAN what are the
modules dependancies?

See this example from Log::Dispatch::Tk, this module requires Tk,
Log::Dispatch v1.11 and Log::Dispatch::Output v1.011 :

use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
WriteMakefile
  (
   'NAME'       => 'Log-Dispatch-Tk',
   'VERSION' => '1.3',
   'dist' => {COMPRESS=>'gzip -9f', SUFFIX => 'gz'},
   'PREREQ_PM' =>
   {
    'Tk' => 0,
    'Log::Dispatch' => '1.11',
    'Log::Dispatch::Output' => '1.011'
   },
   ($] >= 5.005 ?
    (ABSTRACT   => 'Tk i/f class and Text widget for Log::Dispatch messages',
     AUTHOR     => 'Dominique Dumont (domi@barrayar.grenoble.hp.com)') : ())
  );

HTH

-- 
Dominique_Dumont@grenoble.hp.com