Creating a meta package

Mr Green · 2014-06-27 20:36:22

Basically want to create a simple meta package and need an example to work from. Would like to look at 'base' Pkgbuild for a start. Or would it be easier to write a wrapper around pacstrap to do work for me?

karol · 2014-06-27 21:27:19

What do you mean by a meta package?
https://www.archlinux.org/groups/x86_64/kde-meta/

Raynman · 2014-06-27 21:33:29

A meta package is simply an empty package with a bunch of dependencies, but 'base' is a package group. You can specify 'groups' in PKGBUILDs. I don't think there's more to it, but if this is for something you want to upload to the AUR, I'm not sure how well groups are supported. A meta package could be useful assuming you install it using an AUR helper to take care of the dependencies.

Mr Green · 2014-06-28 05:09:06

I need something like base package (group). Basically it pulls in a list of defined packages...was just curious as too how it worked. Do a lot of test installs and simply wanted a local way of using pacstrap to pull in a list of defined packages.

progandy · 2014-06-28 05:34:55

Mr Green wrote:

I need something like base package (group). Basically it pulls in a list of defined packages...was just curious as too how it worked. Do a lot of test installs and simply wanted a local way of using pacstrap to pull in a list of defined packages.

List your packages in a file and use the minus option and stdin:

pacstrap /root - <pkgs.list

Mr Green · 2014-06-28 06:17:58

Well that would work, will have to see if I can find a group package build to feed my curiosity

Thanks

Trilby · 2014-06-28 11:07:00

There is no such thing as a group PKGBUILD. Groups are defined by the packages themselves (there is a groups *variable* in a PKGBUILD). If you are packaging foo bar and baz, you can assign the group variable in all of them to be "mygroup". Then assuming foo bar and baz are built and in a repo, `pacman -S mygroup` would install all three of them. But there is no PKGBUILD for "mygroup".

If thre is a PKGBUILD for the entity that pulls in other packages, then it is not a group, it is a meta-package.

If you didn't pakage foo bar and baz yourself, you could make a new package called "mymeta" that depends on all three of them. Then when you run `pacman -S mymeta` it will install all 3 as dependencies, and "mymeta" as explicitly installed.

Last edited by Trilby (2014-06-28 11:07:36)

Mr Green · 2014-06-28 12:42:51

That is where the confusion lays I want a meta package that pulls in a number of packages. Namely base,syslinux and a few other applications.

I just saw then as group packages, thanks for the explanation

thiagowfx · 2014-06-30 02:41:55

Try creating a PKGBUILD such as

pkgname=my-custom-meta
pkgver=0.0.1
pkgrel=1
arch=('any')
url="http://www.example.com/"
license=('custom:unknown')
depends=('syslinux' 'base')

package() {
  true
}

Then run makepkg -si

Last edited by thiagowfx (2014-06-30 02:43:27)

Arch Linux

#1 2014-06-27 20:36:22

Creating a meta package

#2 2014-06-27 21:27:19

Re: Creating a meta package

#3 2014-06-27 21:33:29

Re: Creating a meta package

#4 2014-06-28 05:09:06

Re: Creating a meta package

#5 2014-06-28 05:34:55

Re: Creating a meta package

#6 2014-06-28 06:17:58

Re: Creating a meta package

#7 2014-06-28 11:07:00

Re: Creating a meta package

#8 2014-06-28 12:42:51

Re: Creating a meta package

#9 2014-06-30 02:41:55

Re: Creating a meta package

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