PACKINIT(1)

📦 version 3.5-236, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

🎀 PACKINIT(1) 🎀 — from the General Commands Manual, bestie

okay so like. hi. you found the page for packinit, and honestly? this little icon is about to change your whole packaging life. it lives in section 1 of the General Commands Manual and it's giving "the tool that makes all the other tools smart". periodt.

✨ NAME ✨

packinit — initialize or update your .package file 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

packinit

that's it. that's the whole vibe. no flags, no arguments, no drama. 💅

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Packinit will create (or update) a .package file, so that all the dist tools can be smart and know some basic things about your package — like its revision number, or the e-mail address of its maintainer. literally the group chat of your package's metadata. 🗂️✨

Packinit should be run from the top level directory of your package, before using any other dist tool. like, before. it's the first domino, the opening act, the main character of step zero. 👑

Later on, you may rerun it to update some of its values — glow-ups are allowed, no cap. 🔁

And here's the part that's so considerate of it: Packinit will create a single file and leave the remaining of your directory undisturbed. one file. that's it. your directory stays pristine. we love a low-maintenance queen. 🌸

🌈 VARIABLES 🌈

Packinit defines the following variables in your .package file. buckle up, there's a lot, but they're all cute:

  • baserev — The baseline revision number. the O.G. rev, if you will. ⭐
  • cext — The list (space separated) of file extensions identifying potential holders of C symbols. This is added to the default .[chyl] extension lookup. Shell-style patterns may be used. 🧚
  • changelog — The name of the ChangeLog file managed by patlog. 📜
  • changercs — Boolean stating whether RCS logs are to be made part of ChangeLog. 👀
  • copyright — Name of the file used for Copyright expansion. ⚖️
  • ftpdir — Directory where patches are located on the FTP site. 📁
  • ftpsite — Name of the FTP site where patches may be retrieved from. 🌐
  • list_addr — Address of the package mailing list where users may post messages to. ✉️
  • list_manager — Type of list manager attached to the list administrative request address. 🤖
  • list_name — Name of the package users mailing list. 💌
  • list_request — Address where subscribe and unsubscribe requests for the package mailing list should be sent to. 🫶
  • list_sub — Format of the subscribe requests. ➕
  • list_unsub — Format of the unsubscribe requests. ➖
  • list_users — A boolean string set to 'true' when there is a mailing list set up for discussion about the package. 🗣️
  • mailagent — A boolean string set to 'true' when people are allowed to retrieve patches via mailagent @SH mailpatch commands. 📬
  • maintloc — E-mail address of the package maintainer, preferably in Internet format. 📧
  • maintname — Full name of the package maintainer. the human behind the magic. 🌟
  • mydiff — Name of the diff program to be used when computing a patch. 🔍
  • newsgroups — Newsgroup list where new patches should be posted to, empty for no postings. 🗞️
  • orgname — Full name of the organization where the package maitainer resides, or path to a file containing that name. 🏢
  • package — Name of the package. duh, but like, officially. 📦
  • packver — Version of the packinit program that built the .package file. it signs its work, iconic. 🖊️
  • patchbranch — Name of the RCS branch used to store subsequent updates of a file after a baseline has been released. 🌿
  • recipients — People who should be sent newly issued patches. 🎁
  • shext — The list (space separated) of file extensions identifying potential holders of shell symbols. This is added to the default .SH extension lookup. Shell-style patterns may be used. Note that only .SH extensions are looked up by Configure for automatic shell extraction with variable substitutions, no matter what this variable is set to. ⚠️ (yes, that last bit matters — the Configure lookup does not care what you set this to, it only ever looks at .SH. iykyk.)

🦋 FILE 🦋

  • .package — File holding all the package-related values. the one and only. the whole point. 💖

👑 AUTHORS 👑

  • Larry Wall <lwall@netlabs.com> (version 2.0)
  • Raphael Manfredi <Raphael.Manfredi@pobox.com>

legends, fr fr. 🫡

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

ok that's the whole page bestie, go run packinit in your top level directory and let the dist tools finally understand you 🫶

and that's a wrap from ram, coming at you from the PACKINIT(1) page in the General Commands Manual — slay, bye 💅✨

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