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pkg_create(1)

NAME

     pkg_create -- a utility for creating software package distributions

SYNOPSIS

     pkg_create [-YNOhjvyz] [-C conflicts] [-P pkgs] [-p prefix] [-i iscript]
		[-I piscript] [-k dscript] [-K pdscript] [-r rscript]
		[-s srcdir] [-S basedir] [-t template] [-X excludefile]
		[-D displayfile] [-m mtreefile] [-o originpath] -c comment -d
		description -f packlist pkg-filename
     pkg_create [-YNhvy] -b pkg-name [pkg-filename]

DESCRIPTION

     The pkg_create command is used to create packages that will subsequently
     be fed to one of the package extraction/info utilities.  The input
     description and command line arguments for the creation of a package are
     not really meant to be human-generated, though it is easy enough to do
     so.  It is more expected that you will use a front-end tool for the job
     rather than muddling through it yourself.	Nonetheless, a short descrip-
     tion of the input syntax is included in this document.

OPTIONS

     The following command line options are supported:

     -f packinglist
	     Fetch ``packing list'' for package from the file packinglist or
	     stdin if packinglist is a - (dash).

     -c [-]desc
	     Fetch package ``one line description'' from file desc or, if pre-
	     ceded by -, the argument itself.  This string should also give
	     some idea of which version of the product (if any) the package
	     represents.

     -d [-]desc
	     Fetch long description for package from file desc or, if preceded
	     by -, the argument itself.

     -Y      Assume a default answer of `Yes' for any questions asked.

     -N      Assume a default answer of `No' for any questions asked.

     -O      Go into a `packing list Only' mode.  This is a custom hack for
	     the FreeBSD Ports Collection and is used to do `fake pkg_add'
	     operations when a port is installed.  In such cases, it is neces-
	     sary to know what the final, adjusted packing list will look
	     like.

     -v      Turn on verbose output.

     -h      Force tar to follow symbolic links, so that the files they point
	     to are dumped, rather than the links themselves.

     -i iscript
	     Set iscript to be the pre-install procedure for the package.
	     This can be any executable program (or shell script).  It will be
	     invoked automatically when the package is later installed.  It
	     will be passed the package's name as the first argument.
	     Set piscript to be the post-install procedure for the package.
	     This can be any executable program (or shell script).  It will be
	     invoked automatically when the package is later installed.  It
	     will be passed the package's name as the first argument.

     -C conflicts
	     Set the initial package conflict list to conflicts.  This is
	     assumed to be a whitespace separated list of package names and is
	     meant as a convenient shorthand for specifying multiple
	     @conflicts directives in the packing list (see PACKING LIST
	     DETAILS section below).

     -P pkgs
	     Set the initial package dependency list to pkgs.  This is assumed
	     to be a whitespace separated list of package names and is meant
	     as a convenient shorthand for specifying multiple @pkgdep direc-
	     tives in the packing list (see PACKING LIST DETAILS section
	     below).  Each argument from the pkgs list could be in the form
	     pkgname[:pkgorigin], where optional pkgorigin element denotes
	     origin of each dependency from the list and it is recorded into
	     the packing list along with the pkgname using @comment directive.

     -p prefix
	     Set prefix as the initial directory ``base'' to start from in
	     selecting files for the package.

     -k dscript
	     Set dscript to be the de-install procedure for the package.  This
	     can be any executable program (or shell script).  It will be
	     invoked automatically when the package is later (if ever) de-
	     installed.  It will be passed the package's name as the first
	     argument.

	     Note: if the -K option is not given, this script will serve as
	     both the de-install and the post-deinstall script for the pack-
	     age, differentiating between the functionality by passing the
	     keywords DEINSTALL and POST-DEINSTALL respectively, along with
	     the package's name.

     -K pdscript
	     Set pdscript to be the post-deinstall procedure for the package.
	     This can be any executable program (or shell script).  It will be
	     invoked automatically when the package is later de-installed.  It
	     will be passed the package's name as the first argument.

     -r rscript
	     Set rscript to be the ``requirements'' procedure for the package.
	     This can be any executable program (or shell script).  It will be
	     invoked automatically at installation/deinstallation time to
	     determine whether or not installation/deinstallation should pro-
	     ceed.  To differentiate between installation and deinstallation,
	     the keywords INSTALL and DEINSTALL are passed respectively, along
	     with the package's name.

     -s srcdir
	     srcdir will override the value of @cwd during package creation.

     -S basedir

     -X excludefile
	     Pass excludefile as a -exclude-from argument to tar when creating
	     final package.  See tar man page (or run tar with --help flag)
	     for further information on using this flag.

     -D displayfile
	     Display the file (by concatenating it to stdout) after installing
	     the package.  Useful for things like legal notices on almost-free
	     software, etc.

     -m mtreefile
	     Run mtree(8) with input from mtreefile before the package is
	     installed.  Mtree is invoked as mtree -u -f mtreefile -d -e -p
	     prefix, where prefix is the name of the first directory named by
	     a @cwd directive.

     -o originpath
	     Record an originpath, as location of the port from which package
	     has been created in the FreeBSD Ports Collection.	It should be
	     in the form MASTERCATEGORY/PORTDIR.

     -j      Use bzip2(1) utility to compress package tarball instead of
	     gzip(1).  Please note that this option is a NO-OP if the format
	     of the resulting archive is explicitly specified by the recogniz-
	     able suffix of pkg-filename.  Currently pkg_create recognizes the
	     following suffixes: .tbz, .tgz and .tar.

     -y      Compatibility synonym for -j.

     -z      Use gzip(1) utility to compress package tarball.

     -b pkg-name
	     Create package file from a locally installed package named
	     pkg-name.	If the pkg-filename is not specified, then resulting
	     archive will be created in the current directory and named
	     pkg-name with an appropriate extraction suffix applied.

PACKING LIST DETAILS

     The ``packing list'' format (see -f) is fairly simple, being nothing more
     than a single column of filenames to include in the package.  However,
     since absolute pathnames are generally a bad idea for a package that
     could be installed potentially anywhere, there is another method of spec-
     ifying where things are supposed to go and, optionally, what ownership
     and mode information they should be installed with.  This is done by
     embedding specialized command sequences in the packing list.  Briefly
     described, these sequences are:
     @cwd directory
	     Set the internal directory pointer to point to directory.	All
	     subsequent filenames will be assumed relative to this directory.
	     Note: @cd is also an alias for this command.
     @srcdir directory
	     Set the internal directory pointer for _creation only_ to
	     directory.  That is to say that it overrides @cwd for package
	     creation but not extraction.
     @exec command
	     Execute command as part of the unpacking process.	If command
	     contains any of the following sequences somewhere in it, they
		     name, that is the current directory prefix, plus the last
		     filespec, minus the trailing filename.  In the example
		     case, that would be /usr/local/bin.
	     %f      Expand to the filename part of the fully qualified name,
		     or the converse of %B, being in the example case, emacs.
     @unexec command
	     Execute command as part of the deinstallation process.  Expansion
	     of special % sequences is the same as for @exec.  This command is
	     not executed during the package add, as @exec is, but rather when
	     the package is deleted.  This is useful for deleting links and
	     other ancillary files that were created as a result of adding the
	     package, but not directly known to the package's table of con-
	     tents (and hence not automatically removable).  The advantage of
	     using @unexec over a deinstallation script is that you can use
	     the ``special sequence expansion'' to get at files regardless of
	     where they've been potentially redirected (see -p).
     @mode mode
	     Set default permission for all subsequently extracted files to
	     mode.  Format is the same as that used by the chmod command
	     (well, considering that it's later handed off to it, that's no
	     surprise).  Use without an arg to set back to default (extrac-
	     tion) permissions.
     @option option
	     Set internal package options, the only two currently supported
	     ones being extract-in-place, which tells the pkg_add command not
	     to extract the package's tarball into a staging area but rather
	     directly into the target hierarchy (this is typically meant to be
	     used only by distributions or other special package types), and
	     preserve, which tells pkg_add to move any existing files out of
	     the way, preserving the previous contents (which are also resur-
	     rected on pkg_delete, so caveat emptor).
     @owner user
	     Set default ownership for all subsequently extracted files to
	     user.  Use without an arg to set back to default (extraction)
	     ownership.
     @group group
	     Set default group ownership for all subsequently extracted files
	     to group.	Use without an arg to set back to default (extraction)
	     group ownership.
     @comment string
	     Imbed a comment in the packing list.  Useful in trying to docu-
	     ment some particularly hairy sequence that may trip someone up
	     later.
     @ignore
	     Used internally to tell extraction to ignore the next file (don't
	     copy it anywhere), as it's used for some special purpose.
     @ignore_inst
	     Similar to @ignore, but the ignoring of the next file is delayed
	     one evaluation cycle.  This makes it possible to use this direc-
	     tive in the packinglist file, so you can pack a specialized
	     datafile in with a distribution for your install script (or some-
	     thing) yet have the installer ignore it.
     @name name
	     Set the name of the package.  This is mandatory and is usually
	     put at the top.  This name is potentially different from the name
	     of the file it came in, and is used when keeping track of the
	     package for later deinstallation.	Note that pkg_create will
	     derive this field from the package name and add it automatically
	     fied.  The name directory will not be removed unless it is empty.
     @mtree name
	     Declare name as an mtree(8) input file to be used at install time
	     (see -m above).  Only the first @mtree directive is honored.
     @display name
	     Declare name as the file to be displayed at install time (see -D
	     above).
     @pkgdep pkgname
	     Declare a dependency on the pkgname package.  The pkgname package
	     must be installed before this package may be installed, and this
	     package must be deinstalled before the pkgname package is dein-
	     stalled.  Multiple @pkgdep directives may be used if the package
	     depends on multiple other packages.
     @conflicts pkgcflname
	     Declare a conflict with the pkgcflname package, as the two pack-
	     ages contain references to the same files, and so cannot co-exist
	     on the same system.

ENVIRONMENT

     The environment variable PKG_TMPDIR names the directory where pkg_create
     will attempt to create its temporary files.  If PKG_TMPDIR is not set,
     the directory named by the contents of TMPDIR will be used.  If neither
     of PKG_TMPDIR and TMPDIR are set, the builtin defaults are used.

FILES

     /var/tmp  Temporary directory if environmental variables PKG_TMPDIR and
	       TMPDIR are not set.
     /tmp      The next choice if /var/tmp does not exist.
     /usr/tmp  The last choice if /tmp is unsuitable.

SEE ALSO

     pkg_add(1), pkg_delete(1), pkg_info(1), pkg_version(1), sysconf(3)

HISTORY

     The pkg_create command first appeared in FreeBSD.

AUTHORS

     Jordan Hubbard

CONTRIBUTORS

     John Kohl <jtk@rational.com>, Oliver Eikemeier <eik@FreeBSD.org>

BUGS

     Hard links between files in a distribution must be bracketed by @cwd
     directives in order to be preserved as hard links when the package is
     extracted.  They additionally must not end up being split between tar
     invocations due to exec argument-space limitations (this depends on the
     value returned by sysconf(_SC_ARG_MAX)).

     Sure to be others.

FreeBSD 5.4			 June 29, 2004			   FreeBSD 5.4

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