[Pkg-xfce-devel] Bug#806124: xfdesktop4: FTBFS when built with dpkg-buildpackage -A (No such file or directory)

[sanvila at debian.org (Santiago Vila)]

Package: src:xfdesktop4
Version: 4.12.3-1
User: sanvila at debian.org
Usertags: binary-indep
Severity: important

Dear maintainer:

I tried to build this package with "dpkg-buildpackage -A"
(i.e. only architecture-independent packages), and it failed:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
 fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep
dh binary-indep --parallel
   dh_testroot -i -O--parallel
   dh_prep -i -O--parallel
   dh_auto_install -i -O--parallel
	make -j1 install DESTDIR=/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/tmp AM_UPDATE_INFO_DIR=no
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
Making install in backgrounds
make[2]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/backgrounds'
make[3]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/backgrounds'
make[3]: Nothing to be done for 'install-exec-am'.
 /bin/mkdir -p '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/tmp/usr/share/backgrounds/xfce'
 /usr/bin/install -c -m 644 xfce-blue.jpg xfce-teal.jpg '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/tmp/usr/share/backgrounds/xfce'
make[3]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/backgrounds'
make[2]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/backgrounds'
Making install in common
make[2]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/common'
make  install-am
make[3]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/common'
make[4]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/common'
make[4]: Nothing to be done for 'install-exec-am'.
make[4]: Nothing to be done for 'install-data-am'.

[... snipped ...]

   dh_icons -i -O--parallel
   dh_perl -i -O--parallel
   debian/rules override_dh_link
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
rm -rf /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/xfdesktop4/usr/share/doc/xfdesktop4
ln -s xfdesktop4-data /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/xfdesktop4/usr/share/doc/xfdesktop4
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/debian/xfdesktop4/usr/share/doc/xfdesktop4': No such file or directory
debian/rules:17: recipe for target 'override_dh_link' failed
make[1]: *** [override_dh_link] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>'
debian/rules:25: recipe for target 'binary-indep' failed
make: *** [binary-indep] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep gave error exit status 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry not to have a fix, as I am reporting many bugs similar to
this one, but I can give some general hints:

* If all the arch-independent packages are dummy transitional packages
released with jessie, the easy fix is to drop them now.
 
* If not, debian/rules should be modified so that the binary-indep
target works in all cases, even when binary-arch is not used (this is
what the "Architecture: all" autobuilder does). For that:
    
* If you are using debhelper, you might want to use options -a and -i
for dh_* commands so that they do not act on packages they do not
have to act.

* Also, if you are using dh, the (independently) optional targets
override_dh_foo-arch and override_dh_foo-indep (for several values
of "foo") may be useful to write a debian/rules which behaves exactly
as desired.


After checking that both "dpkg-buildpackage -A" and "dpkg-buildpackage -B"
work properly, this package will be suitable to be uploaded in
source-only form if you wish (you might want to try it).

Thanks.