test for package dependencies without installing

[Paul Yeatman <pyeatman@ucsd.edu>]

Hi, I'm wondering if there is a command I can run on a debian package that would test for whether all dependencies of that package are already installed on the system without actually installing the package if so.  This mailing list thread http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2006/09/msg00292.html is on the exact topic and many suggestions are thrown out but none of which I can prove true.

So, let's say I want to install texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb.

$ dpkg -I texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb | grep Depend
 Depends: texlive-doc-base (>= 2007), texlive-base-bin (>= 2007-13), texlive-common (>= 2007)

I don't have any of these dependency packages installed

$ sudo dpkg -i texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb 
(Reading database ... 138033 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace texlive-base 2007.dfsg.1-2 (using texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement texlive-base ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-base:
 texlive-base depends on texlive-doc-base (>= 2007); however:
  Package texlive-doc-base is not installed.
 texlive-base depends on texlive-base-bin (>= 2007-13); however:
  Package texlive-base-bin is not installed.
 texlive-base depends on texlive-common (>= 2007); however:
  Package texlive-common is not installed.
dpkg: error processing texlive-base (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 texlive-base

Is there a script-friendly way to determine this before attempting to install?  dpkg man page suggests that "--no-act, --dry-run, --simulate" should do this yet 

$ sudo dpkg -i --no-act texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb (Reading database ... 138033 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace texlive-base 2007.dfsg.1-2 (using texlive-base_2007.dfsg.1-2_all.deb) ...
$ echo $?
0

tells me nothing about lacking dependencies.  The point of this is for the purpose of an install script that includes such a package.  If there are dependency issues, I want to point that out right at the beginning of the install.  If there are not, I want to proceed but want to perform the package install later in the game.

Thanks!