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pkg_version(1)

NAME

     pkg_version -- summarize installed versions of packages

SYNOPSIS

     pkg_version [-hv] [-l limchar] [-L limchar] [[-X] -s string] [index]
     pkg_version -t version1 version2
     pkg_version -T pkgname pattern

DESCRIPTION

     The pkg_version command is used to produce a report of non-base software
     packages installed using the pkg_add(1) command.

     Each package's version number is checked against one of two sources to
     see if that package may require updating.	If the package contains infor-
     mation about its origin in the FreeBSD ports tree, and a version number
     can be determined from the port's Makefile, then the version number from
     the Makefile will be used to determine whether the installed package is
     up-to-date or requires updating.

     If no origin for a package can be found, or if the port's Makefile cannot
     be located, pkg_version will search for the package in the ports collec-
     tion index file (typically /usr/ports/INDEX-5).  Any matching version
     number(s) there will be used to determine whether the installed package
     is up-to-date or requires updating.

     Generally, using the version number from a port's Makefile will provide a
     more accurate result, since, unlike the index file, it provides an unam-
     biguous current version number, even when multiple versions of a port
     exist in the ports collection.  Moreover, the ports collection index file
     is only updated at intervals, meaning that it may not completely reflect
     the version numbers of the software contained in the ports collection.

     Each package name is printed, along with a one-character status flag:

     =	     The installed version of the package is current.

     <	     The installed version of the package is older than the current
	     version.

     >	     The installed version of the package is newer than the current
	     version.  This situation can arise with an out-of-date index
	     file, or when testing new ports.

     ?	     The installed package does not appear in the index.  This could
	     be due to an out of date index or a package taken from a PR that
	     has not yet been committed.

     *	     There are multiple versions of a particular software package
	     listed in the index file.	Examples from the FreeBSD ports col-
	     lection are the Tcl toolkit or the EMACS editor.

     !	     The installed package exists in the index but for some reason,
	     pkg_version was unable to compare the version number of the
	     installed package with the corresponding entry in the index.

OPTIONS

     The pkg_version utility supports several command-line arguments:

     -L      Limit the output to those packages whose status flag doesn't
	     match limchar.  You may specify more than one character to match
	     in limchar.  Note that because some of the status flag characters
	     are also special to the shell, it is best to quote limchar with
	     single quotes.

     -s      Limit the output to those packages whose names match a given
	     string.

     -X      Interpret string as a extended regular expression.

     -t      Test a pair of version number strings and exit.  The output con-
	     sists of one of the single characters = (equal), < (right-hand
	     number greater), or > (left-hand number greater) on standard out-
	     put.  This flag is mostly useful for scripts or for testing.

     -T      Test whether pkgname is matched by pattern and set the exit code
	     accordingly.  -T can also be used in `filter mode': When one of
	     the arguments is `-', standard input is used, and lines with
	     matching package names/patterns are echoed to standard output.

     -v      Enable verbose output.  Verbose output includes some English-text
	     interpretations of the version number comparisons, as well as the
	     version numbers compared for each package.  Non-verbose output is
	     probably easier for programs or scripts to parse.

     index   Specify the index to be used as a basis of comparison.  This
	     index can be specified as a filename (in the local file system)
	     or a URL.	Any URL understandable by fetch(1) can be used here.
	     If no index file is specified on the command line,
	     /usr/ports/INDEX-5 is used.

COMPATIBILITY

     The -c option has been deprecated and is no longer supported.

SEE ALSO

     fetch(1), pkg_add(1), pkg_create(1), pkg_delete(1), pkg_info(1)

FILES

     /usr/ports/INDEX-5  Default index file.

EXAMPLES

     The following is a typical invocation of the pkg_version command, which
     checks the installed packages against the local ports index file:

	   % pkg_version -v

     The command below generates a report against the version numbers in the
     on-line ports collection:

	   % pkg_version http://www.FreeBSD.org/ports/INDEX-5

     The following command compares two package version strings:

	   % pkg_version -t 1.5 1.5.1

AUTHORS

FreeBSD 5.4			 June 29, 2004			   FreeBSD 5.4

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