path: root/doc/PKGBUILD.5.txt

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PKGBUILD(5)
===========

Name
----
PKGBUILD - Arch Linux package build description file


Synopsis
--------
PKGBUILD


Description
-----------
This manual page is meant to describe general rules about PKGBUILDs. Once a
PKGBUILD is written, the actual package is built using makepkg and installed
with pacman.

NOTE: If you are using Arch Linux and have a local copy of the Arch Build
System (ABS) tree on your computer, or are using another distribution that
provides a similar tree of build files, you can copy the provided
PKGBUILD.proto file to a new package build directory and make customizations to
suit your needs. An up to date prototype file can also be found in the source
distribution of this package.


Options and Directives
----------------------
The following is a list of standard options and directives available for use
in a PKGBUILD. These are all understood and interpreted by makepkg, and most
will be directly transferred to the built package.

If you need to create any custom variables for use in your build process, it is
recommended to name your custom variables with an '_' (underscore) prefix.
This will prevent any possible name clashes with internal makepkg variables.
For example, to store the base kernel version in a variable, use something
similar to `$_basekernver`.

*pkgname*::
	The name of the package. This has be a unix-friendly name as it will be
	used in the package filename.

*pkgver*::
	The version of the software as released from the author (e.g. '2.7.1').

*pkgrel*::
	This is the release number specific to the Arch Linux release. This
	allows package maintainers to make updates to the package's configure
	flags, for example. A pkgrel of 1 is typically used for each upstream
	software release and is incremented for intermediate PKGBUILD updates.

*pkgdesc*::
	This should be a brief description of the package and its functionality.
	Try to keep the description to one line of text.

*url*::
	This field contains a URL that is associated with the software being
	packaged. This is typically the project's website.

*license (array)*::
	This field specifies the license(s) that apply to the package.
	Commonly-used licenses are found in '/usr/share/licenses/common'. If you
	see the package's license there, simply reference it in the license
	field (e.g. `$$license=('GPL')$$`). If the package provides a license not
	found in '/usr/share/licenses/common', then you should include the license
	in the package itself and set `$$license=('custom')$$` or
	`$$license=('custom:LicenseName')$$`. The license should be placed in
	'$pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname' when building the package. If
	multiple licenses are applicable for a package, list all of them:
	`$$license=('GPL' 'FDL')$$`.

*install*::
	Specifies a special install script that is to be included in the package.
	This file should reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD, and will
	be copied into the package by makepkg. It does not need to be included
	in the source array (e.g. `$$install=pkgname.install$$`).

*source (array)*::
	An array of source files required to build the package. Source files
	must either reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD file, or be a
	fully-qualified URL that makepkg will use to download the file. In order
	to make the PKGBUILD as useful as possible, use the $pkgname and $pkgver
	variables if possible when specifying the download location. Any files
	that are compressed will automatically be extracted, unless found in
	the noextract array listed below.

*noextract (array)*::
	An array of filenames corresponding to those from the source array. Files
	listed here will not be extracted with the rest of the source files. This
	is useful for packages which use compressed data which is downloaded but
	not necessary to uncompress.

*md5sums (array)*::
	This array contains an MD5 hash for every source file specified in the
	source array (in the same order). makepkg will use this to verify source
	file integrity during subsequent builds. To easily generate md5sums, run
	``makepkg -g >> PKGBUILD''. If desired, move the md5sums line to an
	appropriate location.

*sha1sums, sha256sums, sha384sums, sha512sums (arrays)*::
	Alternative integrity checks that makepkg supports; these all behave
	similar to the md5sums option described above. To enable use and generation
	of these checksums, be sure to set up the `INTEGRITY_CHECK` option in
	linkman:makepkg.conf[5].

*groups (array)*::
	An array of symbolic names that represent groups of packages, allowing
	you to install multiple packages by requesting a single target. For
	example, one could install all KDE packages by installing the 'kde' group.

*arch (array)*::
	Defines on which architectures the given package is available (e.g.
	`$$arch=('i686' 'x86_64')$$`).

*backup (array)*::
	A space-delimited array of filenames, without preceding slashes, that
	should be backed up if the package is removed or upgraded. This is
	commonly used for packages placing configuration files in /etc. See
	Handling Config Files in linkman:pacman[8] for more information.

*depends (array)*::
	An array of packages that this package depends on to run. Packages in
	this list should be surrounded with single quotes and contain at least
	the package name. Entries can also include a version requirement of the
	form 'name<>version', where <> is one of five comparisons: >= (greater
	than or equal to), <= (less than or equal to), = (equal to), > (greater
	than), or < (less than).

*makedepends (array)*::
	An array of packages that this package depends on to build, but are not
	needed at runtime. Packages in this list follow the same format as
	depends.

*optdepends (array)*::
	An array of optional packages (and accompanying reasons) that are not
	essential to the package, but would offer increased functionality or other
	features when installed. optdepends are currently for informational
	purposes only and are not utilized by pacman during dependency resolution.
	The format should be similar to the following:

	optdepends=('fakeroot: for makepkg usage as normal user')

*conflicts (array)*::
	An array of packages that will conflict with this package (i.e. they
	cannot both be installed at the same time). This directive follows the
	same format as depends. Versioned conflicts are also supported.

*provides (array)*::
	An array of ``virtual provisions'' that this package provides. This allows
	a package to provide dependencies other than its own package name. For
	example, the dcron package can provide 'cron', which allows packages to
	depend on 'cron' rather than 'dcron OR fcron'.
	Versioned provisions are also possible, in the 'name=version' format.
	For example, dcron can provide 'cron=2.0' to satisfy the 'cron>=2.0'
	dependency of other packages.

*replaces (array)*::
	An array of packages that this package should replace, and can be used
	to handle renamed/combined packages. For example, if the 'j2re' package
	is renamed to 'jre', this directive allows future upgrades to continue
	as expected even though the package has moved. Sysupgrade is currently
	the only pacman operation that utilizes this field, a normal sync will
	not use its value.

*options (array)*::
	This array allows you to override some of makepkg's default behavior
	when building packages. To set an option, just include the option name
	in the options array. To reverse the default behavior, place an ``!'' at
	the front of the option. Only specify the options you specifically want
	to override, the rest will be taken from linkman:makepkg.conf[5].
	*NOTE:* 'force' is a special option only used in a linkman:PKGBUILD[5],
	do not use it unless you know what you are doing.

	*strip*;;
		Strip symbols from binaries and libraries. If you frequently
		use a debugger on programs or libraries, it may be helpful to
		disable this option.

	*docs*;;
		Save doc and info directories. If you wish to delete doc and
		info directories, specify `!docs` in the array.

	*libtool*;;
		Leave libtool (.la) files in packages. Specify `!libtool` to
		remove them.

	*emptydirs*;;
		Leave empty directories in packages.

	*zipman*;;
		Compress man pages with gzip.

	*ccache*;;
		Allow the use of ccache during build. More useful in its negative
		form `!ccache` with select packages that have problems building
		with ccache.

	*distcc*;;
		Allow the use of distcc during build. More useful in its negative
		form `!distcc` with select packages that have problems building
		with distcc.

	*makeflags*;;
		Allow the use of user-specific makeflags during build as specified
		in linkman:makepkg.conf[5]. More useful in its negative form
		`!makeflags` with select packages that have problems building with
		custom makeflags such as `-j2` (or higher).

	*force*;;
		Force the package to be upgraded by a pacman system upgrade
		operation, even if the version number would normally not trigger
		such an upgrade. This is useful when the version numbering scheme
		of a package changes (or is alphanumeric).


build() Function
----------------
In addition to the above directives, the build() bash function comprises the
remainder of the PKGBUILD. This is directly sourced and executed by makepkg, so
anything that bash or the system has available is available for use here. Be
sure any exotic commands used are covered by `makedepends`.

All of the above variables such as `pkgname` and `pkgver` are available for use
in the build function. In addition, makepkg defines three variables for your
use during the build and install process. These three variables are as follows:

*startdir*::
	This contains the absolute path to the directory where the PKGBUILD was
	located, which is usually the output of `$(pwd)` when makepkg is started.
	$$startdir$$ was most often used in combination with `/src` or `/pkg`
	postfixes, but use of the `srcdir` and `pkgdir` variables is preferred.

*srcdir*::
	This points to the directory where makepkg extracts or copies all source
	files. Although it currently is an alias for `$startdir/src`, this
	assumption should not be assumed true for all future revisions of makepkg.

*pkgdir*::
	This points to the directory where makepkg bundles the installed package
	(this directory will become the root directory of your built package).
	Although it currently is an alias for `$startdir/pkg`, this assumption
	should not be assumed true for all future revisions of makepkg.

If you create any variables of your own in the build function, it is
recommended to use the bash `local` keyword to scope the variable to inside
the build function.

Install/Upgrade/Remove Scripting
--------------------------------
Pacman has the ability to store and execute a package-specific script when it
installs, removes, or upgrades a package. This allows a package to configure
itself after installation and perform an opposite action upon removal.

The exact time the script is run varies with each operation:

*pre_install*::
	script is run right before files are extracted. One argument is passed:
	new package version.

*post_install*::
	script is run right after files are extracted. One argument is passed:
	new package version.

*pre_upgrade*::
	script is run right before files are extracted. Two arguments are passed
	in the following order: new package version, old package version.

*post_upgrade*::
	script is run after files are extracted. Two arguments are passed
	in the following order: new package version, old package version.

*pre_remove*::
	script is run right before files are removed. One argument is passed:
	old package version.

*post_remove*::
	script is run right after files are removed. One argument is passed:
	old package version.

To use this feature, create a file such as 'pkgname.install' and put it in the
same directory as the PKGBUILD script. Then use the install directive:

	install=pkgname.install

The install script does not need to be specified in the source array. A
template install file is available with the source distribution of this
program, or one may be provided by your distribution. For example, Arch Linux
provides prototype install files in the ABS tree.


Development Directives
----------------------
makepkg supports building development versions of packages without having to
manually update the pkgver in the PKGBUILD. This was formerly done using the
separate utility 'versionpkg'. In order to utilize this functionality, your
PKGBUILD must use correct variable names depending on the SCM being fetched
from.

*CVS*::
	The generated pkgver will be the date the package is built.

	*_cvsroot*;;
		The root of the CVS repository.

	*_cvsmod*;;
		The CVS module to fetch.

*SVN*::
	The generated pkgver will be the latest SVN revision number.

	*_svntrunk*;;
		The trunk of the SVN repository.

	*_svnmod*;;
		The SVN module to fetch.

*Git*::
	The generated pkgver will be one formatted by the 'git-describe'
	command, with '-' characters converted to '_' characters.

	*_gitroot*;;
		The URL (all protocols supported) to the GIT repository.

	*_gitname*;;
		GIT tag or branch to use.

*Mercurial*::
	The generated pkgver will be the hg tip revision number.

	*_hgroot*;;
		The URL of the mercurial repository.

	*_hgrepo*;;
		The repository to follow.

*Darcs*::
	The generated pkgver will be the date the package is built.

	*_darcstrunk*;;
		URL to the repository trunk.

	*_darcsmod*;;
		Darcs module to use.

*Bazaar*::
	The generated pkgver will be the latest Bazaar revision number (revno).

	*_bzrtrunk*;;
		URL to the bazaar repository.

	*_bzrmod*;;
		Bazaar module to use.


Example
-------
The following is an example PKGBUILD for the 'patch' package. For more
examples, look through the build files of your distribution's packages. For
those using Arch Linux, consult the ABS tree.

[sh]
source~~~~~
include::PKGBUILD-example.txt[]
source~~~~~


See Also
--------
linkman:makepkg[8], linkman:pacman[8], linkman:makepkg.conf[5]

include::footer.txt[]