..::Debconf::Client::ConfModule(3)

💖 ..::Debconf::Client::ConfModule(3) — Debconf 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair because we're talking about Debconf::Client::ConfModule, the client module for ConfModules, and honestly? it's giving main character energy for Debian's whole configuration-management situation. ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

Debconf::Client::ConfModule — the client module for ConfModules, fr fr.

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

use Debconf::Client::ConfModule ':all';
version('2.0');
my $capb=capb('backup');
input("medium", "foo/bar");
my @ret=go();
if ($ret[0] == 30) {
       # Back button pressed.
       ...
}
...

like. look at that. it's so clean. 🫶

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so basically this is the module that makes writing ConfModules for Debian's configuration management system not a whole ordeal. it can talk to a FrontEnd through the debconf protocol — and if you wanna read that protocol in full, it's documented in the debconf_specification in Debian policy. no cap. 📜

the design is lowkey iconic: every single command in the protocol gets its own function in this module, and the function name is just the command name but lower-cased. so you call the function, you pass in whatever parameters you want to follow the command, and you're done. that's it. that's the vibe. 💖

and here's the part you need to remember: context matters, bestie.

• if the function is called in scalar context, it returns any textual return code. just the text, that's it.
• if it's called in list context, you get an array of two things: the numeric return code and the textual return code. both. together. iconic behavior honestly. 👑

oh and also — this module uses Exporter to export all the functions it defines. so if you want everything, you just import :all and you're set. 🌈

🎀 import 🎀

this one makes sure a FrontEnd is actually running. and yeah, it's a little hackish, we said what we said. 🙈

• if DEBIAN_HAS_FRONTEND is set, then a FrontEnd is assumed to be running already. cool cool.
• if it's not set, one gets started up automatically, and stdin and out are connected to it.

⭐ note note note: this function is always run when the module is loaded in the usual way. so like, you don't have to think about it. it just happens. periodt.

💜 stop 💜

the frontend doesn't send a return code here, so we cannot try to read it — or we'll block. like actually block. do not do it. 😭

🦋 AUTOLOAD 🦋

creates handler functions for commands on the fly. magic. wizardry. slay. ✨

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• the debconf specification, which lives at /usr/share/doc/debian-policy/debconf_specification.txt.gz — go read it, bestie, it's right there. 📖

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🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> — thank you for your service, king. 🫶

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and that's the whole page!! this was ..::Debconf::Client::ConfModule(3) from the Debconf manual, dated 2026-02-16. go forth and write your ConfModules, you're gonna eat. 💅💖✨