How to create a -devel package?

[sling-shot]

I am looking for guidelines to creating a -devel package. I have gone through some of the .spec files that create both a library and a devel package.

I am particularly interested to know :
1. How to determine if a particular package can have a -devel version?
2. How to know what %files to be included in the devel section?

I am looking to package a library that is currently not in our repository so I do not have a referene .spec file to go with.

[TerryN]

I am particularly interested to know :
1. How to determine if a particular package can have a -devel version?
2. How to know what %files to be included in the devel section?

A package will have a -devel if it provides a library that other packages will want to use in their builds.  It's just like when you build normal packages you use BuildRequires to locate the -devel packages required by the build.
For example: libpng3 provides a library which takes care of handling png images.  Any developer who wants to handle png images can use code provided in libpng rather than writing their own routines.  To do so the developer will install libpng-devel which will install the necessary development files to enable the code to call libpng3 to be included in the build.

The files to include in the devel package are the files needed for other applications to include the library code in their build.  These include (but are not limited to):

header (.h) files (usually found in %{_includedir})
linker libraries (.so) files (usually found in %{_libdir} or a subdirectory of)
pkgconfig (.pc) files (usually found in %{_libdir}/pkgconfig)
any documentation specifically aimed at developers

You need to be very careful which files you put in the runtime package and which you put in the -devel package.  Getting it wrong can result in lots of -devel packages being pulled in as dependencies when users install your package.  See http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,101266.msg905539.html#msg905539  section on devel dependencies.
Also you should avoid packaging any .la files if they are produced during the build otherwise it can lead to problems like this.  

Terry.

[sling-shot]

TerryN, I am not sure I understand where to put rm -rf as outlined by Texstar in that link above.
I suppose it should be placed somewhere in the .spec file may be after %make install?

Does this mean that effective from now on, *.la files are banned unless specifically indicated?

[TerryN]

TerryN, I am not sure I understand where to put rm -rf as outlined by Texstar in that link above.
I suppose it should be placed somewhere in the .spec file may be after %make install?

Does this mean that effective from now on, *.la files are banned unless specifically indicated?

The .la files should not be packaged but unfortunately some -devel packages do have them and so they get installed at build time.  This can lead to errors during the build like the example here.  If you see this sort of error you run the rm -rf to get rid of any *.la files that were installed and then run the build again.

To avoid packaging *.la files the SPEC should have something like:

Code: [Select]

find %{buildroot} -name '*.la' -delete
in the %install section after the %make install or

Code: [Select]

%exclude %{_libdir}/*.la
in the %files section.

Terry.

[sling-shot]

Thank you

[ghostbunny]

I have a further question.

What about *.a files? they are also devel libraries but shall we delete them too?

[TerryN]

What about *.a files? they are also devel libraries but shall we delete them too?

Like .la files they are intended for static linking which is undesirable but they don't cause build problems like .la files.  Either remove them or put them in a separate -static-devel subpackage.

Terry.

[ghostbunny]

Thanks Terry,

i update currently libupnp there are .la and .a files included in the devel package i delete this files now.

regards
ghostbunny