[Debconf-devel] Bug#542884: debconf-devel.7: An example for using debconf(1)

[sobtwmxt]

Package: debconf-doc
Version: 1.5.27
Severity: wishlist

  It took me a while to get the suggestion to debug with debconf(1)
right.  Hopefully, the following will help others:

--- debconf-devel.7     2009-08-22 01:53:08.000000000 +0100
+++ debconf-devel.7.new 2009-08-22 03:12:22.000000000 +0100
@@ -620,12 +620,141 @@
 user, pointing at a personal config.dat and template.dat for the 
user, you
 can load up templates and run config scripts all you like, without 
any root
 access. If you want to start over with a clean database, just blow 
away the
-*.dat files.
+*.dat files. You might also want to rename config.dat-old to 
config.dat.
 .P
 For details about setting this up, see
 .BR debconf.conf (5) ,
 and note that /etc/debconf.conf makes a good template for a personal
-~/.debconfrc file.
+~/.debconfrc file. An example while trying to debug the portmap
+configuration is as follows:
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+# Creates the debconfrc
+$ sed -ne '/Config: configdb/,/templates.dat/p' \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+/etc/debconf.conf > /home/user/.debconfrc
+.fi
+.in
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ sed -ne '/Config: configdb/,/templates.dat/p' \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+/etc/debconf.conf > /home/user/.debconfrc
+.fi
+.in
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ sed -ie 's:/var/cache/debconf/:/home/user/portmap/:' \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+/home/user/.debconfrc
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+# Creating a dedicated directory is not necessary.
+$ mkdir portmap
+$ cd portmap
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+# Copying the default file serves to emphasize path
+# issues.
+$ cp /etc/default/portmap default
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ cp {/var/lib/dpkg/info/portmap.,}postinst
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+# It is important to set the paths in a way that
+# debconf sees the files.
+$ sed -i '/^CONFFILE=/s:.*:CONFFILE=/home/user/portmap/default:' \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+postinst
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ cp {/var/lib/dpkg/info/portmap.,}templates
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ debconf-loadtemplate portmap templates
+# Note that some *.dat get created, but not config.dat-old.
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ cp {/var/lib/dpkg/info/portmap.,}config
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+# It is important to set the paths in a way that debconf
+# see the files.
+$ sed -i '/^CONFFILE=/s:.*:CONFFILE=/home/user/portmap/default:' \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+config
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ debconf -freadline -pmedium /home/user/portmap/config \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+configure 6.0-10
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +12n
+.nf
+  . . .  User get prompted
+.fi
+.in
+.P
+.in +4n
+.nf
+$ debconf -freadline -pmedium /home/user/portmap/postinst \\
+.fi
+.in
+.in +8n
+.nf
+configure 6.0-10
+.fi
+.in
+.P
 .RE
 .SH "ADVANCED PROGRAMMING WITH DEBCONF"
 .SS "Config file handling"


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