Re: test for package dependencies without installing

[Paul Yeatman <pyeatman@ucsd.edu>]

->>In response to your message<<-
  --received from Jimmy Johnson--
>
> Paul Yeatman wrote:
> > 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.
> >
<...snip...>
> >
> > 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!
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like you may want to use # apt-get -u install, here's an example:
> 
> # apt-get -u install lilo
> Reading Package Lists... Done
> Building Dependency Tree... Done
> The following extra packages will be installed:
> cron debconf exim libident libopenldap-runtime libopenldap1 libpcre2 
> logrotate mailx
> The following packages will be REMOVED:
> debconf-tiny
> The following NEW packages will be installed:
> cron debconf exim libident libopenldap-runtime libopenldap1 libpcre2 
> logrotate mailx
> The following packages will be upgraded
> lilo
> 1 packages upgraded, 9 newly installed, 1 to remove and 31 not upgraded.
> Need to get 225kB/1179kB of archives. After unpacking 2659kB will be used.
> Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Thanks for the suggestion.  It's not as script-friendly as I'd like but
the real problem is that this is using the package manager.  I want to
perform the test on an arbitrary debian package file that may or may
not be found on the mirrors.

 Thanks!
 Paul