=head1 NAME dgit - tutorial for package maintainers, using a workflow centered around git-merge(1) =head1 INTRODUCTION This document describes elements of a workflow for maintaining a non-native Debian package using B. The workflow makes the following opinionated assumptions: =over 4 =item Git histories should be the non-linear histories produced by git-merge(1), preserving all information about divergent development that was later brought together. =item Maintaining convenient and powerful git workflows takes priority over the usefulness of the raw Debian source package. The Debian archive is thought of as an output format. For example, we don't spend time curating a series of quilt patches. However, the information such a series would contain is readily available from B. =item It is more important to have the Debian package's git history be a descendent of upstream's git history than to use exactly the orig.tar that upstream makes available for download. =back =head1 GIT CONFIGURATION Add the following to your ~/.gitconfig to teach git-archive(1) how to compress orig tarballs: =over 4 [tar "tar.xz"] command = xz -c [tar "tar.gz"] command = gzip -c =back =head1 INITIAL DEBIANISATION =head2 When upstream tags releases in git Suppose that the latest stable upstream release is 1.2.2, and this has been tagged '1.2.2' by upstream. =over 4 % git clone -oupstream https://some.upstream/foo.git % cd foo % git verify-tag 1.2.2 % git reset --hard 1.2.2 % git branch --unset-upstream =back The final command detachs your master branch from the upstream remote, so that git doesn't try to push anything there, or merge unreleased upstream commits. If you want to maintain a copy of your packaging branch on B in addition to B, you can do something like this: =over 4 % git remote add -f origin git.debian.org:/git/collab-maint/foo.git % git push --follow-tags -u origin master =back Now go ahead and Debianise your package. Just make commits on the master branch, adding things in the I directory. If you need to patch the upstream source, just make commits that change files outside of the I directory. It is best to separate commits that touch I from commits that touch upstream source, so that the latter can be cherry-picked by upstream. Note that there is no need to maintain a separate 'upstream' branch, unless you also happen to be involved in upstream development. We work with upstream tags rather than any branches, except when forwarding patches (see FORWARDING PATCHES UPSTREAM, below). Finally, you need an orig tarball. Generate one with git-archive(1): =over 4 % git archive -o ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz 1.2.2 =back If you are using the version 1.0 source package format, replace 'xz' with 'gz'. This tarball is ephemeral and easily regenerated, so we don't commit it anywhere (e.g. with tools like pristine-tar(1)). =head3 Verifying upstream's tarball releases =over 4 It can be a good idea to compare upstream's released tarballs with the release tags, at least for the first upload of the package. If they are different, you might need to add some additional steps to your I, such as running autotools. A convenient way to perform this check is to import the tarball as described in the following section, using a different value for 'upstream-tag', and then use git-diff(1) to compare the imported tarball to the release tag. If they are the same, you can use upstream's tarball instead of running git-archive(1). =back =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs We need a virtual upstream branch with virtual release tags. gbp-import-orig(1) can manage this for us. To begin =over 4 % mkdir foo % cd foo % git init =back Now create I: =over 4 [DEFAULT] upstream-branch = upstream debian-branch = master upstream-tag = %(version)s sign-tags = True pristine-tar = False pristine-tar-commit = False =back Then we can import the upstream version: =over 4 % git add debian/gbp.conf && git commit -m "create gbp.conf" % gbp import-orig ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz =back You are now ready to proceed as above, making commits to both the upstream source and the I directory. If you want to maintain a copy of your repository on B, you should push both the origin and the upstream branches: =over 4 % git remote add -f origin git.debian.org:/git/collab-maint/foo.git % git push --follow-tags -u origin master upstream =back =head1 SOURCE PACKAGE CONFIGURATION =head2 debian/source/options We set some source package options such that dgit can transparently handle the "dropping" and "refreshing" of changes to the upstream source: =over 4 single-debian-patch auto-commit =back You don't need to create this file if you are using the version 1.0 source package format. =head2 Sample text for README.source It is a good idea to explain how a user can obtain a break down of the changes to the upstream source: =over 4 The Debian packaging of foo is maintained using dgit. For the sake of an efficient workflow, Debian modifications to the upstream source are squashed into a single diff, rather than a series of quilt patches. To obtain a patch queue for package version 1.2.3-1: =over 4 # apt-get install dgit % dgit clone foo % cd foo % git log --oneline 1.2.3..debian/1.2.3-1 -- . ':!debian' =back See dgit(1), dgit(7) and dgit-maint-merge(7) for more information. =back =head1 BUILDING AND UPLOADING Use B, B, B, and B as detailed in dgit(1). If any command fails, dgit will provide a carefully-worded error message explaining what you should do. If it's not clear, file a bug against dgit. Remember to pass I<--new> for the first upload. As an alternative to B and friends, you can use a tool like gitpkg(1). This works because like dgit, gitpkg(1) enforces that HEAD has exactly the contents of the source package. gitpkg(1) is highly configurable, and one dgit user reports using it to produce and test multiple source packages, from different branches corresponding to each of the current Debian suites. If you want to skip dgit's checks while iterating on a problem with the package build (for example, you don't want to commit your changes to git), you can just run dpkg-buildpackage(1) or debuild(1) instead. =head1 NEW UPSTREAM RELEASES =head2 When upstream tags releases in git It's a good idea to preview the merge of the new upstream release. First, just check for any new or deleted files that may need accounting for in your copyright file: =over 4 % git remote update % git diff --stat master..1.2.3 -- . ':!debian' =back You can then review the full merge diff: =over 4 % git merge-tree `git merge-base master 1.2.3` master 1.2.3 | $PAGER =back Once you're satisfied with what will be merged, update your package: =over 4 % git archive ../foo_1.2.3.orig.tar.xz 1.2.3 % git merge 1.2.3 % dch -v1.2.3-1 New upstream release. % git add debian/changelog && git commit -m changelog =back and you are ready to try a build. Again, if you are using the version 1.0 source package format, replace 'xz' with 'gz'. =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs Either =over 4 % gbp import-orig ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz =back or if you have a working watch file =over 4 % gbp import-orig --uscan =back =head1 HANDLING DFSG-NON-FREE MATERIAL =head2 When upstream tags releases in git We create a DFSG-clean tag to merge to master: =over 4 % git checkout -b pre-dfsg 1.2.3 % git rm evil.bin % git commit -m "upstream version 1.2.3 DFSG-cleaned" % git tag -s 1.2.3+dfsg % git checkout master % git branch -D pre-dfsg =back Before merging the new 1.2.3+dfsg tag to master, you should first determine whether it would be legally dangerous for the non-free material to be publicly accessible in the git history on B. If it would be dangerous, there is a big problem; in this case please consult your archive administrators (for Debian this is the dgit administrator dgit-owner@debian.org and the ftpmasters ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org). =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs The easiest way to handle this is to add a B field to I, and a B setting in I. See uscan(1). Alternatively, see the I<--filter> option detailed in gbp-import-orig(1). =head1 FORWARDING PATCHES UPSTREAM The basic steps are: =over 4 =item 1. Create a new branch based off upstream's master branch. =item 2. git-cherry-pick(1) commits from your master branch onto your new branch. =item 3. Push the branch somewhere and ask upstream to merge it, or use git-format-patch(1) or git-request-pull(1). =back For example (and it is only an example): =over 4 % # fork foo.git on GitHub % git remote add -f fork git@github.com:spwhitton/foo.git % git checkout -b fix-error upstream/master % git config branch.fix-error.pushRemote fork % git cherry-pick master^2 % git push % # submit pull request on GitHub =back Note that when you merge an upstream release containing your forwarded patches, git and dgit will transparently handle "dropping" the patches that have been forwarded, "retaining" the ones that haven't. =head1 INCORPORATING NMUS =over 4 % dgit pull =back Alternatively, you can apply the NMU diff to your repository. The next push will then require I<--overwrite>. =head1 SEE ALSO dgit(1), dgit(7) =head1 AUTHOR This tutorial was written and is maintained by Sean Whitton . It contains contributions from other dgit contributors too - see the dgit copyright file.