flash poll: do we need a library for parsing sources.list?

[Stefano Zacchiroli]

Do we have whatever library for parsing /etc/apt/sources.list? If no, I
think we should write a new component for python-debian which implements
it and (maybe :-)) I volunteer for writing an initial implementation.

The functionality I mildly have in mind are:

- both the possibility to act on whatever single file is written
  according to the sources.list format and to act on the system-wide
  repository list (i.e. sources.list + /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*)

- the possibility to iterate over the defined repositories, possibly
  accompanied by their priority (if there is one which is
  repository-wide) as defined in the APT policy

- for each repository the ability to access each component (URL,
  component name, kind (bin/src)

- the possibility to build download URLs for Packages/Sources/... out of
  a given repository item plus the missing information (e.g.
  architecture)

- input/output of sources.list file, for applications willing to modify
  them

The scenarios I've in mind where such a library can be useful is the
implementation of download scripts for Packages/Sources/... which are
frequently written by hand (I personally did that several times).

Do you think such an addition would be interesting for python-debian?

Cheers.

-- 
Stefano Zacchiroli -*- PhD in Computer Science ............... now what?
zack@{upsilon.cc,cs.unibo.it,debian.org}  -<%>-  http://upsilon.cc/zack/
(15:56:48)  Zack: e la demo dema ?    /\    All one has to do is hit the
(15:57:15)  Bac: no, la demo scema    \/    right keys at the right time
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