Re: (secure!) web front-end for apt / debconf
On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 04:35:28AM +0100, lkcl luke wrote:
> i'm looking to do a web (HTTP/AJAX) front-end for apt, including
> presentation and answering of debconf package configuration questions.
> my primary programming language is python, and i'm glad to see
> python-apt.
So, a more dynamic version of debconf's standard web frontend?
/usr/share/perl5/Debconf/FrontEnd/Web.pm
There's also a web frontend for cdebconf:
http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/WebInstaller
>
> however, despite searching "apt-cache search python debconf" etc. and
> despite the wikipedia page saying "there's a debconf python API"
> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debconf_(software_package) i'm a leetle lost,
> here.
>
> further quick google searches show some accidental encountering of
> "debconf.py". google searches for "debconf.py" shows err.... a blank
> svn repository:
> http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/debconf/trunk/src/debconf/
>
> that leads me to wonder if that's up-to-date, leading to running of
> "apt-get source debconf". that downloads debconf 1.5, and in the root
> directory there's a very very short debconf.py program which looks
> fairly meaningless.
As the repository itself says: It's not up-to-date. The up-to-date
one is git://git.debian.org/git/debconf/debconf.git, as APT should
have told you during the source download.
>
> i've run the example gtk installer (examples python-apt-doc) which
> required some updates; the updates i was able to find by examining
> /usr/share/pyshared/apt/progress/gtk2.py.
>
> by looking at the apt/progress/gtk2.py i was able to ascertain that it
> uses vte: vte would be no good for use on a web server [AJAX will be
> required, and a special web server which serves only one
> HTTP connection]
It's for installation progress reporting and installation progress
reporting needs some kind of terminal or at least something else
to write to.
>
> from _that_ file i was able to ascertain that there's a corresponding
> text progress system, which could potentially help to be the basis of
> an HTTP/AJAX-based alternative, but in the entire apt.progress code i
> saw no evidence of a connection to debconf which would allow dpkg
> questions to be answered.
Debconf asks the questions itself, it does not go through the
progress layer.
>
> so... what the heck is going on, and where do i start? :)
Ask the debconf developers for debconf stuff. We can only
help with APT specific questions here.
--
Julian Andres Klode - Debian Developer, Ubuntu Member
See http://wiki.debian.org/JulianAndresKlode and http://jak-linux.org/.
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