Re: dpkg --getselections, apt, and update-menus

[Hugo van der Merwe <hugovdm@mail.com>]

Mmm. I'm reading via the web site, as I am not subscribed to this
list... makes replying a little harder. Maybe I ought to specifically
ask CC:'s to me.

> >> getselections is supposed to be current.  A package marked deinstall is
> >> removed, but not purged.  Or at least it is expected to be.
> >
> >On my machine, it definately doesn't work like that. I just tested it.
> >Changed a selection in dselect, but didn't do an "Install", the
> >selection change was evident in dpkg --get-selections.
> 
> I don't think that's what Sean meant. If, in dselect, you use '-' to
> mark a package for removal - or use 'apt-get remove' - then a package's
> configuration files won't be removed, and some state about the package
> will remain in the system. However, if you use '_' in dselect, or
> 'apt-get --purge remove', then the package's configuration files will be
> removed too, and /var/lib/dpkg/status will forget that it ever existed.

Um, that's kind of not what I meant either. I wasn't replying to the
remove/purge thing, rather just stating the fact that --get-selections
does not coincide with the current state of the machine. Rather with the 
future desired state of the machine.

> >> a) # dpkg --get-selections|sed -e 's/deinstall$/install/'|dpkg
> >--set-selections
> >>    # apt-get dselect-upgrade
> >
> >Ah yes... sed. The problem with this is, it will also install the
> >packages that are not installed (that are really currently
> >"deinstalled").
> 
> No, completely uninstalled (purged or never installed) packages don't
> show up in 'dpkg --get-selections' at all.

I was here referring to packages that have been removed, but not purged.
They show up in --get-selections, and will be installed by these
commands. All I was aiming to do was get the selections to match with
the current state of the machine.

I think the best way to go about his is sed'ing through the status file.

Thanks,
Hugo van der Merwe