debhelper 7 and python-central

[Ben Finney <ben@benfinney.id.au>]

Howdy all,

debhelper version 7 introduces a number of new features
<URL:http://kitenet.net/~joey/blog/entry/dh_implementation/> that can
greatly simplify a 'debian/rules' file.

One important feature, that can dramatically cut the number of
'dh_foo' commands specified in the 'debian/rules' file, is called
"sequences", that are automagically-determined sequences of 'dh_foo'
commands that will be run, logging the fact and not re-running a
command unnecessarily.

One can simply call 'dh install' to run all the commands that
debhelper determines need to be done for the install sequence; one can
also partially run sequences up to a certain point, or resume from a
certain point. See 'dh(1)' for more on this feature.

Early in the 7.0.x series, debhelper gained the ability to detect a
Python package and run 'dh_pysupport' in the 'install' sequence,
allowing a single-line 'dh install' to perform all the tasks needed in
an 'install' target. However, it currently seems to lack corresponding
support for 'python-central'.


I'm using 'python-central' in 'bugs-everywhere' and have partially
converted it to debhelper 7; the Bazaar repository is online
<URL:http://bzr.debian.org/bzr/collab-maint/bugs-everywhere/be.debian/>.

The 'debian/rules' file currently needs to explicitly skip the steps
that would otherwise call 'dh_pysupport', which would fail on this
'python-central'-using package.

e.g. instead of being able to say 'dh install', I need to write::

    install: build
            dh install --until installdirs
            $(CURRENT_PYTHON_VERSION) setup.py install ${DEB_PYTHON_INSTALL_ARGS_ALL}
            dh install --before pysupport
            dh install --after pysupport

and instead of 'dh binary-indep', I need to write::

    binary-indep: build install
            dh binary-indep --before pysupport
            dh_pycentral
            dh binary-indep --after pysupport

Does anyone know debhelper better than me, and can suggest ways to
improve that package's current 'debian/rules' file to make better use
of debhelper 7 with 'python-central'?

-- 
 \              "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does |
  `\           knowledge." —Charles Darwin, _The Descent of Man_, 1871 |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney