CHECK-SYMBOLS(1)

📦 version 0.215, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💅 CHECK-SYMBOLS(1) — the general commands manual, but make it cute

okay bestie, sit down, because check-symbols is about to become your new hyperfixation ✨

✨ NAME ✨

check-symbols — verify symbols exported by a new library version 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

check-symbols <source-package> [DEBDIR]

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the vibe: you've got a shiny new library version and you wanna know what symbols it's putting out into the world. relatable. to verify the symbols exported by a new library version, just run check-symbols with the name of the source package as your argument. that's it, that's the whole ask 🫶

then the magic happens, in order, no skips:

  1. check-symbols first determines the symbols exported by the existing, installed library version.
  2. then it installs the new library.
  3. then it compares the symbols exported by the new library version against the symbols exported by the old version.

and for each of the symbols found, check-symbols will tell you if the symbol is new, unchanged, or has been removed in the new library version. it's giving diff energy and honestly? iconic 👑

quick little plot twist: if the source package contains multiple binary library packages, then all library files in each of the binary packages will be verified. all of them. every single one. no library left behind 💀

oh and the actual symbol-hunting tool under the hood? check-symbols uses nm -D to determine the exported symbols of the libraries. iykyk 🌈

and if you don't give a value for DEBDIR, the script just assumes the new library deb files are chilling in /var/cache/pbuilder/result. no big deal, that's just where it looks 🎀

🧚 EXAMPLES 🧚

check-symbols telepathy-glib .

this will, step by step:

  • Use nm -D to determine the exported symbols of the old, installed versions of the libraries provided by telepathy-glib.
  • Install the binary libraries provided by the new version of telepathy-glib.
  • Compare the output of nm -D of the new libraries with the output of the old version.
  • List the result in diff format.

literally the whole pipeline in one little command, we love to see it 💜

😭 BUGS 😭

found a bug? pls report it, we're not gatekeeping:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-dev-tools/

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

nm(1)

👑 AUTHOR 👑

check-symbols was written by Daniel Holbach <daniel.holbach@ubuntu.com> and this manpage by Albert Damen <albrt@gmx.net>. Both are licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2. respect the license bestie, it's the law 💅

okay that's the whole page, thanks for coming to my ted talk. this beauty comes to you courtesy of ubuntu-dev-tools, dated December 9, 2007 — a whole vintage era and still serving ✨🦋🎀

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