[[control]]
=== debian/control

The *debian/control* file consists of blocks of meta data separated by the blank line.  Each block of meta data defines the following in this order:

* meta data for the Debian source package
* meta data for the Debian binary packages

See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html[Chapter 5 - Control files and their fields] of the ``Debian Policy Manual'' for the definition of each meta data.

[[split]]
==== Split of the Debian binary package

For well behaving build systems, the split of the Debian binary package into small ones can be realized as follows.

* Create binary package entries for all binary packages in the *debian/control* file.
* List all file paths (relative to *debian/tmp*) in the corresponding *debian/*'binarypackage'**.install** files.

Please check examples in this guide:

* <<autotools-multi>> (Autotools based)
* <<cmake-multi>> (CMake based)

[[boption]]
===== debmake -b

The *debmake* command with the *-b* option provides intuitive and flexible method to creates the initial template *debian/control* file defining the split of the Debian binary packages with following stanzas:

* *Package:*
* *Architecture:*
* *Multi-Arch:*
* *Depends:*
* *Pre-Depends:*

The *debmake* command also set an appropriate set of substvars used in each pertinent dependency stanza.

Let's quote the pertinent part from the *debmake* manpage here.

include::binary.txt[]

[[package-split-example]]
===== Package split scenario and examples

Here are some typical multiarch package split scenarios for the following upstream source examples using the *debmake* command:

* a library source 'libfoo-1.0'*.tar.gz*
* a tool source 'bar-1.0'*.tar.gz* written in a compiled language
* a tool source 'baz-1.0'*.tar.gz* written in an interpreted language

[options="header", cols="3,2,3,2,8"]
|====
|'binarypackage'   |'type'   |*Architecture:*|*Multi-Arch:*	|Package content
|*lib*'foo1'	   |*lib*^*^ |any |same    |the shared library, co-installable
|*lib*'foo1'*-dbg* |*dbg*^*^ |any |same    |the shared library debug symbols, co-installable
|*lib*'foo'*-dev*  |*dev*^*^ |any |same    |the shared library header files etc., co-installable
|*lib*'foo'*-tools*|*bin*^*^ |any |foreign |the run-time support programs, not co-installable
|*lib*'foo'*-doc*  |*doc*^*^ |all |foreign |the shared library documentation files
|'bar'             |*bin*^*^ |any |foreign |the compiled program files, not co-installable
|'bar'*-doc*       |*doc*^*^ |all |foreign |the documentation files for the program
|'baz'             |*script* |all |foreign |the interpreted program files
|====

[[libnames]]
===== The library package name

Let's consider that the upstream source tarball of the *lib*'foo' library is updated from *lib*'foo-7.0'*.tar.gz* to *lib*'foo-8.0'*.tar.gz* with the new SONAME major version which affects other packages.

The binary library package must be renamed from *lib*'foo7' to *lib*'foo8' to keep the *unstable* suite system working for all dependent packages after the upload of the package based on the *lib*'foo-8.0'*.tar.gz*.

WARNING: If the binary library package isn't renamed, many dependent packages in the *unstable* suite become broken just after the library upload even if the binNMU is requested.  The binNMU may not happen immediately after the upload due to several reasons.

The *-dev* package must follow one of the following naming rules:

* Use the *unversioned -dev* package name: *lib*'foo'*-dev*
** This is the typical for the leaf library packages.
** Only one version of the library source package is allowed in the archive.
*** The associated library package needs to be renamed from *lib*'foo7' to *lib*'foo8' to prevent the dependency breakage in the *unstable* archive during the library transition.
** This approach should be used if the simple binNMU resolves the library dependency quickly for all affected packages. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_binary_interface[ABI] change by dropping the deprecated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface[API] while keeping the active API unchanged.)
** This approach may still be a good idea if manual code updates, etc. can be coordinated and manageable within limited packages. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface[API] change)

* Use the *versioned -dev* package names: *lib*'foo7'*-dev* and *lib*'foo8'*-dev*
** This is typical for the many major library packages.
** Two versions of the library source packages are allowed simultaneously in the archive.
*** Make all dependent packages depend on *lib*'foo'*-dev*.
*** Make both *lib*'foo7'*-dev* and *lib*'foo8'*-dev* provide *lib*'foo'*-dev*.
*** The source package needs to be renamed as *lib*'foo7-7.0'*.tar.gz* and *lib*'foo8-8.0'*.tar.gz* respectively from *lib*'foo-?.0'*.tar.gz*.
*** The package specific install file path including *lib*'foo7' and *lib*'foo8' respectively for header files etc. needs to be chosen to make them co-installable.
** Do not use this heavy handed approach, if possible.
** This approach should be used if the update of multiple dependent packages require manual code updates, etc. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface[API] change)  Otherwise, the affected packages becomes RC buggy with FTBFS.

TIP: If data encoding scheme changes (e.g., latin1 to utf-8), the same care as the API change needs to be taken.

See <<lib>>.

[[substvar]]
==== Substvar

The *debian/control* file also defines the package dependency in which the https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html#s-substvars[variable substitutions mechanism] (substvar) may be used to free package maintainers from chores of tracking most of the simple package dependency cases.  See *deb-substvars*(5).

The *debmake* command supports following substvars.

* *$\{misc:Depends}* for all binary packages
* *$\{misc:Pre-Depends}* for all multiarch packages
* *$\{shlibs:Depends}* for all binary executable and library packages
* *$\{python:Depends}* for all Python packages
* *$\{python3:Depends}* for all Python3 packages
* *$\{perl:Depends}* for all Perl packages
* *$\{ruby:Depends}* for all Ruby packages

For the shared library, required libraries found simply by "*objdump -p* '/path/to/program' *| grep NEEDED*" are covered by the *shlib* substvar.

For the Python and other interpreters, required modules found simply looking for lines with ``*import*'', ``*use*'', ``*require*'', etc., are covered by the corresponding substvars.

For other programs which do not deploy their own substvars, the *misc* substvar covers their dependency.

For POSIX shell programs, there is no easy way to identify the dependency and no substvar covers their dependency.

For libraries and modules required via the dynamic loading mechanism including the https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GObjectIntrospection[GObject introspection] mechanism, there is no easy way to identify the dependency and no substvar covers their dependency.

[[binnmu]]
==== binNMU safe

A https://wiki.debian.org/binNMU[binNMU] is a binary-only non-maintainer upload performed for library transitions etc.  In a binNMU, only the ``*Architecture: any*'' packages are rebuilt with a suffixed version number (e.g. version 2.3.4-3 will become 2.3.4-3+b1).  The ``*Architecture: all*'' packages are not built.

The dependency defined in the *debian/control* file among binary packages from a same source package should be safe for the binNMU.  This needs attention if there are both ``*Architecture: any*'' and ``*Architecture: all*'' packages involved in it.

* ``*Architecture: any*'' package depends on ``*Architecture: any*'' 'foo' package
** *Depends:* 'foo' *(= $\{binary:Version})*
* ``*Architecture: any*'' package depends on ``*Architecture: all*'' 'bar' package
** *Depends:* 'bar' *(= $\{source:Version}*
* ``*Architecture: all*'' package depends on ``*Architecture: any*'' 'baz' package
** *Depends:* 'baz' *(>= $\{source:Version})*, 'baz' *(<< $\{source:Upstream-Version}.0~)*

