Dpkg::Changelog(3perl)

📦
version 1.23.11 · 19 versions
, in arch rolling

🎀 NAME 🎀

Dpkg::Changelog — bestie, it's the base class you use to implement a changelog parser. That's the whole vibe. 💅

This page is from libdpkg-perl, and the manual is Dpkg::Changelog(3perl) — iconic, we love a Perl module with main character energy. ✨

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so picture this: Dpkg::Changelog is a class that represents a changelog file as an array of changelog entries (Dpkg::Changelog::Entry). Literally a little changelog aquarium. 🐠

The way you make it actually do stuff is by deriving this class and implementing its parse() method — that's how you add the ability to fill this object with changelog entries. No parser override, no entries. Simple as that, fr fr. 💖

🌸 METHODS 🌸

  • $chlog = Dpkg::Changelog->new(%opts) — creates a new changelog object. It accepts the same options as $chlog->set_options(). Fresh object, fresh vibes. 🫶
  • $chlog->set_options(%opts) — changes the value of some options. The options are:
    • verbose — defines whether parse errors are displayed as warnings by default. Defaults to 1. So yes, by default it's gonna be a little chatty about errors. 🙈
    • reportfile — a string to use instead of the name of the file parsed, in particular in error messages. Think of it as the name tag the parser wears when it's reporting stuff. 🏷️
    • range — defines the range of entries that we want to parse. The parser will stop as soon as it has parsed enough data to satisfy $chlog->get_range($opts{range}). Efficiency queen behavior. 👑
  • $count = $chlog->parse($fh, $description) — reads the filehandle and parses a changelog in it. Important: the data in the object is reset before parsing new data, so don't come crying if your old entries ghosted you. 😭

It returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with success.

Heads up bestie: this method needs to be implemented by one of the specialized changelog format subclasses. The base class is not doing this one for you. 💀
  • $count = $chlog->load($filename) — parses $filename contents for a changelog. Returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with success. Same success-count energy. ⭐
  • $chlog->reset_parse_errors() — can be used to delete all information about errors that occurred during previous parse() runs. Clean slate, new era, periodt. 🧹
  • $chlog->parse_error($file, $line_nr, $error, [$line]) — records a new parse error in $file at line $line_nr. The error message is specified with $error, and a copy of the line can be recorded in $line. Very "dear diary, today the changelog was messy" of it. 📝
  • @errors = $chlog->get_parse_errors() $errors = $chlog->get_parse_errors() — returns all error messages from the last parse() run. If called in scalar context it returns a human readable string representation. If called in list context it returns an array of arrays. Each of these arrays contains:
    1. a string describing the origin of the data (a filename usually). If the reportfile configuration option was given, its value will be used instead.
    2. the line number where the error occurred
    3. an error description
    4. the original line
  • $chlog->set_unparsed_tail($tail) — adds a string representing unparsed lines after the changelog entries. Use undef as $tail to remove the unparsed lines currently set. Bye-bye leftover lines. 👋
  • $string = $chlog->get_unparsed_tail() — returns a string representing the unparsed lines after the changelog entries. Returns undef if there's no such thing. If it's not there, it's not there, bestie. 🫥
  • @entries = @{$chlog} — returns all the Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects contained in this changelog, in the order in which they have been parsed. Order matters, we are not chaotic. Well. Not here, anyway. 🌈
  • @entries = $chlog->get_range($range) $entries = $chlog->get_range($range) — returns an array (if called in list context) or a reference to an array of Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects which each represent one entry of the changelog. $range is a hash reference describing the range of entries to return. See section "RANGE SELECTION". Slay, now go read that section. 💅
  • $bool = $chlog->abort_early() — returns true if enough data have been parsed to be able to return all entries selected by the range set at creation (or with set_options). It's giving "we can stop early, we already ate." 🔥
  • $string = "$chlog" $string = $chlog->output() — returns a string representation of the changelog. It's a concatenation of the string representation of the individual changelog entries. Stringified changelog, cute. 🎀
  • $string = $chlog->output($fh) — outputs the changelog to the given filehandle.
  • $chlog->save($filename) — saves the changelog in the given file. Go little changelog, go be a file. 💾
  • $ctrl_index = $chlog->format_range($format, $range) @ctrl_list = $chlog->format_range($format, $range) — formats the changelog into Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects representing the entries selected by the optional range specifier (see "RANGE SELECTION" for details). In scalar context returns a Dpkg::Index object containing the selected entries; in list context returns an array of Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects.

With format dpkg the returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog object is coalesced from the entries in the changelog that are part of the range requested, with the fields described below, but considering that "selected entry" means the first entry of the selected range.

With format rfc822 each returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog object represents one entry in the changelog that is part of the range requested, with the fields described below, but considering that "selected entry" means for each entry.

The different formats return undef if no entries are matched. The following fields are contained in the object(s) returned:

  • Source — package name (selected entry)
  • Version — packages' version (selected entry)
  • Distribution — target distribution (selected entry)
  • Urgency — urgency (highest of all entries in range)
  • Maintainer — person that created the (selected) entry
  • Date — date of the (selected) entry
  • Timestamp — date of the (selected) entry as a timestamp in seconds since the epoch
  • Closes — bugs closed by the (selected) entry/entries, sorted by bug number
  • Changes — content of the (selected) entry/entries

✨ RANGE SELECTION ✨

A range selection is described by a hash reference where the allowed keys and values are described below. Okay so this is where you pick which entries you want. Choose wisely, or don't, it's a changelog, not a marriage. 💍

The following options take a version number as value:

  • since — causes changelog information from all versions strictly later than version to be used.
  • until — causes changelog information from all versions strictly earlier than version to be used.
  • from — similar to "since" but also includes the information for the specified version itself.
  • to — similar to "until" but also includes the information for the specified version itself.

The following options don't take version numbers as values:

  • all — if set to a true value, all entries of the changelog are returned; this overrides all other options. It's the "give me everything" option and honestly same. 👑
  • count — expects a signed integer as value. Returns "value" entries from the top of the changelog if set to a positive integer, and abs(value) entries from the tail if set to a negative integer.
  • offset — expects a signed integer as value. Changes the starting point for "count", either counted from the top (positive integer) or from the tail (negative integer). "offset" has no effect if "count" wasn't given as well. No count, no offset, that's the rule. 🫡

Some examples for the above options. Imagine an example changelog with entries for the versions 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0 and 3.1. Bestie, visualize the little version lineup. 🌸

Range                        Included entries
-----                        ----------------
since => '2.0'               3.1, 3.0, 2.2
until => '2.0'               1.3, 1.2
from  => '2.0'               3.1, 3.0, 2.2, 2.1, 2.0
to    => '2.0'               2.0, 1.3, 1.2
count =>  2                  3.1, 3.0
count => -2                  1.3, 1.2
count =>  3, offset => 2     2.2, 2.1, 2.0
count =>  2, offset => -3    2.0, 1.3
count => -2, offset => 3     3.0, 2.2
count => -2, offset => -3    2.2, 2.1

Any combination of one option of "since" and "from" and one of "until" and "to" returns the intersection of the two results with only one of the options specified. Intersection, not union, bestie — do not mix that up. 💅

🦋 CHANGES 🦋

🌟 Version 2.00 (dpkg 1.20.0)

  • Remove methods: $chlog->dpkg(), $chlog->rfc822(). Gone. Ghosted. 🫥

🌟 Version 1.01 (dpkg 1.18.8)

  • New method: $chlog->format_range().
  • Deprecated methods: $chlog->dpkg(), $chlog->rfc822().
  • New field Timestamp in output formats. Time is literally a field now. ⏰

🌟 Version 1.00 (dpkg 1.15.6)

  • Mark the module as public. It's officially out there, living its best life. 🎉

Okay that's the whole page, bestie. This was Dpkg::Changelog(3perl) from libdpkg-perl, version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09 — mwah, go parse something cute. 💖🎀🦋🌸✨

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