Arch Linux

Nairou

Member

Registered: 2010-01-12

Posts: 17

Make pacman more verbose?

Is there a way to make pacman more verbose in showing what packages are being installed or updated?

For example, when doing a system update, you get a long list of packages that will be downloaded and installed. Most of them are packages you already have, but some may be new packages, pulled in as a new dependency of something else. I would like to more easily see if a package is a new install or an update, and what is causing the new packages to be installed.

I used to use FreeBSD, and it's ports system did this. You do a system update, and it would list all of the packages to be installed, one per line. Each line indicated whether it was an update or a new install, if it was an update it showed the old -> new version numbers, and if it was a new install it showed what package depended on it.

I haven't been able to find a way to make pacman do this, though I would be happy to be proven wrong. I've toyed with the idea of getting my hands dirty and writing some pacman patches to add this as an option, but I'd like to see if there are other solutions other people know about.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,771

Re: Make pacman more verbose?

Well, according to man pacman,  you might try the --verbose and/or the --debug options.

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skanky

Member

From: WAIS

Registered: 2009-10-23

Posts: 1,847

Re: Make pacman more verbose?

See also VerbosePkgLists in pacman.conf

Doesn't list which package a new one depends on, but (most of) the rest is there.

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anonymous_user

Member

Registered: 2009-08-28

Posts: 3,059

Re: Make pacman more verbose?

I believe enabling VerbosePkgLists will show the old and new versions when upgrading. If you see a blank space where the old version should be, then it likely means a new dependency.

koshak

Member

Registered: 2013-03-13

Posts: 35

Re: Make pacman more verbose?

Using yaourt -Syua:

==> Package upgrade only (new release):
extra/libgnome-keyring  3.6.0-1         1 -> 2
extra/mesa              9.1-2           2 -> 3

==> Software upgrade (new version) :
core/filesystem         2013.01-3       -> 2013.03-2
core/iptables           1.4.16.3-1      -> 1.4.18-1
core/iproute2           3.7.0-1         -> 3.8.0-1
core/libffi             3.0.11-1        -> 3.0.12-1
core/systemd            197-4           -> 198-1
core/systemd-sysvcompat 197-4           -> 198-1
core/tzdata             2013a-1         -> 2013b-1
extra/dbus-glib         0.100-1         -> 0.100.2-1
extra/gconf             3.2.5-3         -> 3.2.6-1
extra/git               1.8.1.5-1       -> 1.8.2-1
aur/google-chrome       25.0.1364.160-1 -> 25.0.1364.172-1

==> Continue upgrade ? [Y/n]
==> [V]iew package detail   [M]anually select packages
==> --------------------------------------------------

Also if there's any new package installed as a dependency to some other package, you are also acknowledged about it.

Nairou

Member

Registered: 2010-01-12

Posts: 17

Re: Make pacman more verbose?

Oh nice, I'll have to give that a try. Thanks!