Welcome to Our New Packagers

[Neal ManBear]

Welcome, all of you.

Tips to get you started (as if you hadn't already ) --

Read through the stickied topics here. You'll find the info in them invaluable.

Be sure to bookmark the RPM How-To. Even if you have learned it all very well, you'll want to use it as a reference.

Read through the threads here. You may find a solution to an issue you have encountered has already been given.

Questions are a great way to gain knowledge. You'll never know the answer till the question has been asked.

Be as thorough as possible when posting a question. Include error messages, the relevant portion of your spec file and include attempts you have made to resolve the issue.

Last, but not least, enjoy packaging!

Contact texstar at g mail dot com for access to the dropbox SRPM folder.

Edit:
-Where to upload new packages -
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,57079.msg504334.html#msg504334

..also note that you can use dropbox for sharing packages that you would like to have others test!  

[Joble]

Edit: The packaging environment set up guide in this tutorial is outdated. Install pkgutils to have your environment set up automatically. (-- Neal)

If you're like me, you may want a printed copy so you're not swapping windows and trying to remember what your looking for between the two, get a printable copy here:
http://www.montanalinux.org/files/RPM_Build_Manual_Rev2.pdf

Note:  The printed copy is very good, but not as up-to-date as the online version.

Also:
Once you get a clue about how things work, this tips-and-tricks link is also very good:
http://mypclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=1405.msg11028#msg11028

[escapingsummer]

If you're like me, you may want a printed copy so you're not swapping windows and trying to remember what your looking for between the two, get a printable copy here:
http://www.montanalinux.org/files/RPM_Build_Manual_Rev2.pdf

I have to ask why does it recommend installing Tiny Me?

[Neal ManBear]

If you're like me, you may want a printed copy so you're not swapping windows and trying to remember what your looking for between the two, get a printable copy here:
http://www.montanalinux.org/files/RPM_Build_Manual_Rev2.pdf

I have to ask why does it recommend installing Tiny Me?

It was written some years ago when that was the recommended option. Now we recommend MiniMe, LXDE-Mini, XFCE-Mini or ZenMini.

[Archie]

I'm getting my feet wet but I'm gonna be needing gurus' expert advice. I've read my copy of gettinther's old school Setting Up a Build Environment, SPEC files, Multiple Sources, etc ... and so far, it's not hard to sink in.

[MBantz]

Welcome to packagers Archie :-)

Just ask away :-)

As for setting up the build environment it is now so easy as installing pkgutils from the repo. The hardest part should be installing VMWare or virtualbox (though I have never tried building in virtualbox),

for very-easy packaging I have created servicemenus (right-click) for packing with the filemanager Thunar - just install pkgutils-thunar - start Thunar and you can right-click on spec files, src.rpm files, .rpm files, change compression type (just right-click on the compressed file) from several types to the required .xz compression and get the relevant packaging functions (the best being "build all with logfile"),

enjoy :-)

/MBantz

[travisN000]

I've read my copy of gettinther's old school Setting Up a Build Environment...

You probably already know this, but it looks like old posts on it have been put to rest, so I'll post it anyway..  

EDIT:  Martin beat me to it!  

..installing pkgutils from the repo will set up your RPM build environment, including setting up a local repo and adding it to your sources.list.  The DE / file-manager specific packages will also create convenient right-click context menu options for many common operations, including "installing" any downloaded SRPM to your packaging directories for easy updates / modification.

The local repo's package lists will have to be updated after any new package that is built if you want it to show up in synaptic for install.  This is done using pkgutils gbd script in console as the packaging user (..with one of the DE specific pkgutils packages installed you can also install any RPM using apt-get via a simple right-click context menu in the file manager )

There is a description of all of the "helper scripts" that are included in pkgutils in the package description in synaptic.
 

[Archie]

Thank you for the welcome, guys.

Question. I am unable to use Dropbox from inside the Great Firewall of China, and it seems that this is the preferred channel of exchange among packagers. Are there any alternatives?

Martin, you have indeed taken the hard part of setting up, and made it easier. I will stick with the terminal for a bit until I am more accustomed to this new adventure.

Another question in my mind about mkrepo but I will investigate first.

Again, thank you.

Archie

[mmesantos1]

Ok so I want to say hello to all. Also I am very green when it comes to this stuff so if my questions do not make sense I will say I am sorry right now.

So lets get to it, I am learning this packaging thing so I can build my own versions of certain packages to brand them for the OS I am making. I am using the PCLinuxOS KDE Minime as the base for my OS so the package building should work for me.
I had a question on the need to add testing to the end of the repo on my build OS I have installed. Was wondering why I need the testing repo VS. the stable one, as I am only building the package to re-brand it will this still be necessary. If why, I did not see a why when reading the how to wiki guide I got from this thread. Just want to know why I am doing this. I want to say thank you in advance for your help with my question. 

Marc

[mmesantos1]

Sorry was asking a question pertaining to the Wiki how guide on building packages. 

[MBantz]

Ok so I want to say hello to all. Also I am very green when it comes to this stuff so if my questions do not make sense I will say I am sorry right now.

So lets get to it, I am learning this packaging thing so I can build my own versions of certain packages to brand them for the OS I am making. I am using the PCLinuxOS KDE Minime as the base for my OS so the package building should work for me.
I had a question on the need to add testing to the end of the repo on my build OS I have installed. Was wondering why I need the testing repo VS. the stable one, as I am only building the package to re-brand it will this still be necessary. If why, I did not see a why when reading the how to wiki guide I got from this thread. Just want to know why I am doing this. I want to say thank you in advance for your help with my question. 

Marc

I can not recommend to use testing when building, then testing packages is mixed and all sorts of issues can arise from this. Where does it say this in the wiki?
Of course, it can happen that a needed library is in testing, then it's ok to pull this one library - and perhaps wait to send the package to the repo until the library is actually out of testing,

cheers,
MBantz

[Neal ManBear]

mmesantos1,
Have you read this? --
http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,92540.0/topicseen.html

[mmesantos1]

Hi Neal,
Yes I have read this, I am aware of removing the branding which is why I need to build the certain packages from source to add my own branding. I do not plan on selling my OS but wanted the whole OS to be consistently branded and when packages are updated did not want the branding to revert back to PCLinuxOS. I want to stay within the guidelines Texstar has given. 

[Neal ManBear]

Hi Neal,
Yes I have read this, I am aware of removing the branding which is why I need to build the certain packages from source to add my own branding. I do not plan on selling my OS but wanted the whole OS to be consistently branded and when packages are updated did not want the branding to revert back to PCLinuxOS. I want to stay within the guidelines Texstar has given. 

I just wanted to be sure you had the info. IMO, I would be remiss, if I held back important info like that.

[mmesantos1]

Ok so I want to say hello to all. Also I am very green when it comes to this stuff so if my questions do not make sense I will say I am sorry right now.

So lets get to it, I am learning this packaging thing so I can build my own versions of certain packages to brand them for the OS I am making. I am using the PCLinuxOS KDE Minime as the base for my OS so the package building should work for me.
I had a question on the need to add testing to the end of the repo on my build OS I have installed. Was wondering why I need the testing repo VS. the stable one, as I am only building the package to re-brand it will this still be necessary. If why, I did not see a why when reading the how to wiki guide I got from this thread. Just want to know why I am doing this. I want to say thank you in advance for your help with my question.  

Marc

I can not recommend to use testing when building, then testing packages is mixed and all sorts of issues can arise from this. Where does it say this in the wiki?
Of course, it can happen that a needed library is in testing, then it's ok to pull this one library - and perhaps wait to send the package to the repo until the library is actually out of testing,

cheers,
MBantz

Hi MBantz,
The guide I am refering to is from this link: http://www.montanalinux.org/files/RPM_Build_Manual_Rev2.pdf

From the 2nd post in this thread. From reading it it sounds like this is a needed step. I would quote the steps from the guide but I am at work and unable to open the PDF from my workstation now. But towards the beginning of the guide when you are preparing the build environment it makes mention of adding Testing to your repo selected in the sources list. I was confused why they gave this as a required step but they did not state why. This is why I posted my original question. Did not intend on breaking forum rules.