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Building a source package
Let's take a look at the basics of getting your software into a PPA.
Note: If you're already familiar with building .deb source packages, you can skip straight to the Versioning section.
Ubuntu using Debian's system of packaging software.
Before you start using your PPA to distribute software, you need to be familiar with building .deb source packages for Ubuntu. The best place to learn how to package for Ubuntu is the Ubuntu packaging guide.
You should also ensure that the email address and GPG key you use with dput are the same as those associated with your Launchpad account.
There are a couple of aspects of PPAs that work slightly differently to standard Ubuntu packages: versioning and dependencies.
Let's take a look at each in detail.
Versioning
Ubuntu package names are suffixed by the version number of the package. This allows Ubuntu to distinguish newer packages from older ones and so remain up to date.
If you're creating an alternative version of a package already available in Ubuntu's repositories, you should ensure that:
- your package supersedes the official Ubuntu version
- future Ubuntu versions will supersede your package.
To do this, increase the Ubuntu version number and add a suffix of ~ppan (where n is your package's revision number).
For example: you're creating an experimental version of the myapp_1.0-1 package. Your PPA package would be named myapp_1.0-2~ppa1.
Here, the tilde knocks the precedence of the package down to below whatever is in front of it. So, for now, this package counts as being a higher version number than myapp_1.0-1 but when Ubuntu releases myapp_1.0-2 that will supersede your PPA version.
Version numbers must be unique. This has implications if you want to provide packages for multiple Ubuntu series at once:
If your package can be used on different versions of Ubuntu without being recompiled then use the naming scheme already described. When you have successfully uploaded your package to your PPA you can copy the existing binaries to the new series; see Copying packages below.
If your package does need to be recompiled to support multiple Ubuntu series, then you should add a suffix of the series name to the version number. So a package for the Intrepid Ibex could be named myapp_1.0-2~ppa1~intrepid1 and for the Hardy Heron myapp_1.0-2~ppa1~hardy1. If you need to release an updated package, increment the ~ppan suffix. It is important to note that specifying the version name here doesn't change the series that you are targetting; this must still be set correctly as described in the Ubuntu packaging guide's section on the changelog file.
Dependencies
Launchpad satisfies your package's Build-Depends using:
- the most recent versions of the packages in the PPA you're uploading to
- all sections of the primary Ubuntu archive - i.e. main, restricted, universe and multiverse
optionally: other PPAs in Launchpad.
Note: If you're already familiar with uploading to the Ubuntu primary archive, you should note that PPA builds do not have any build dependency restrictions, unlike a build in the primary Ubuntu archive. If you want to build the same package in the primary Ubuntu archive at a later point you may need to revise the package's component and/or pocket.
Depending on other PPAs
If you want Launchpad to satisfy your package dependencies using one or more other PPAs, follow the Edit dependencies link on your PPA or the team's overview page.
Building
See the Ubuntu packaging guide's section on building source packages.
How you build your package depends on whether you're creating a brand new package or you're creating a derivative of a package that's already in Ubuntu's primary archive.
If you're creating an alternative version of a package that's already in Ubuntu's primary archive, you don't need to upload the .orig.tar.gz file, i.e. the original source.
So, the debuild options you'd use are:
alternative version of an existing package (will be uploaded without the .orig.tar.gz file): debuild -S -sd
brand new package with no existing version in Ubuntu's repositories (will be uploaded with the .orig.tar.gz file): debuild -S -sa
Note: If you get the error clearsign failed: secret key not available when signing the changes file, use an additional option -k[key_id] when calling debuild. Use gpg --list-keys to get the key ID. Look for a line like "pub 12345/12ABCDEF"; the part after the slash is the key ID.
