Lintian::Group(3)

🌸 Lintian::Group — a group of objects that Lintian can process 💅

okay so this is Lintian::Group, straight out of the Debian Package Checker manual, section 3. it's giving ✨object-oriented perl✨ and honestly? kinda iconic. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

use Lintian::Group;

my $group = Lintian::Group->new('lintian_2.5.0_i386.changes');

like, that's it. that's the whole vibe check. one use, one new, and you're in 💖

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so. instances of this perl class are sets of processables. periodt.

here's the tea on what a group can hold:

• at most one source package per set
• at most one changes or buildinfo package per set
• but multiple binary packages — provided that the binary isn't already chillin' in the set

no cap. that's the rule and she enforces it 🎀

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👑 METHODS 👑

the basics

• $group->pooldir — returns or sets the pool directory this group is using. she's flexible like that 💅

the processable getters

• $group->source_name, $group->source_version, **$group->binary — returns a hash reference to the binary processables in this group.
• $group->buildinfo — returns the buildinfo processable in this group.
• $group->changes — returns the changes processable in this group.
• $group->source — returns the source processable in this group.
• $group->udeb — returns a hash reference to the udeb processables in this group.

the settings + bookkeeping girlies

• jobs — returns or sets the max number of jobs to be run in parallel 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️

careful bestie: if the limit is 0, then there is no limit at all on the number of parallel jobs. she'll go absolutely feral, fr fr 💀

• processing_start, processing_end, cache — cache for some items. (yes all three are listed together here, iykyk 🙈)
• profile — a hash with active jobs.
• "saved_direct_dependencies"
• "saved_direct_reliants"
• $group->name — returns a unique identifier for the group, built off the source and version. her government name, if you will 👑
• process — process the group. that's the whole description, she's mysterious and we respect it 🧚

adding stuff

• $group->add_processable($proc) — adds $proc to $group. okay so here's where the boundaries come in:
  • at most one source and one changes $proc can live in a $group
  • there can be multiple binary $proc's, as long as they are all unique
  • successive buildinfo $proc's are silently ignored 🤫

⚠️ this will error out if you try to add an extra source or changes $proc to the group. other than that, she'll return a truth value if $proc was actually added 🎀

getting stuff back out

• get_processables — returns an array of all processables in $group. the full roster 🌈
• get_installables — returns all binary (and udeb) processables in $group 🍓

if $group doesn't have any binary processables, you just get an empty list back. that's it, that's the whole thing.

dependency detective work 🔍

• direct_dependencies (PROC) — if PROC is part of the underlying processable group, this method returns a listref containing all the direct dependencies of PROC. if PROC is not part of the group, this returns undef.

Note: only strong dependencies (Pre-Depends and Depends) are considered. no weak stuff allowed.

Note: self-dependencies, if any, are not included in the result. no being your own bestie here 🙅♀️

• direct_reliants (PROC) — if PROC is part of the underlying processable group, this method returns a listref containing all the packages in the group that rely on PROC. if PROC is not part of the group, this returns undef.

Note: only strong dependencies (Pre-Depends and Depends) are considered. same deal as above.

Note: self-dependencies, if any, are not included in the result. periodt.

spelling things 💅✨

• spelling_exceptions — returns a hashref of words that the spell checker should just... ignore. these words are generally based on the package names in the group, so we don't get false-positive "spelling error" drama when packages have "fun" names 😭

Example: Package alot-doc (#687464) — yeah. alot. she said what she said.

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

originally written by Niels Thykier <niels@thykier.net> for Lintian. king behavior, honestly 👑

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• lintian(1)
• Lintian::Processable

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🎀 bye bestie 🎀

that's the whole page! this was Lintian v2.139.0ubuntu2, dated 2026-10-08. go forth and group your processables responsibly, you absolute main character 🦋✨💖