3 dgit - tutorial for package maintainers, using a workflow centered around git-merge(1)
7 This document describes elements of a workflow for maintaining a
8 non-native Debian package using B<dgit>. The workflow makes the
9 following opinionated assumptions:
15 Git histories should be the non-linear histories produced by
16 git-merge(1), preserving all information about divergent development
17 that was later brought together.
21 Maintaining convenient and powerful git workflows takes priority over
22 the usefulness of the raw Debian source package. The Debian archive
23 is thought of as an output format.
25 For example, we don't spend time curating a series of quilt patches.
26 However, the information such a series would contain is readily
27 available from B<dgit-repos>.
31 It is more important to have the Debian package's git history be a
32 descendent of upstream's git history than to use exactly the orig.tar
33 that upstream makes available for download.
37 =head1 GIT CONFIGURATION
39 Add the following to your ~/.gitconfig to teach git-archive(1) how to
40 compress orig tarballs:
51 =head1 INITIAL DEBIANISATION
53 This section explains how to start using this workflow with a new
54 package. It should be skipped when converting an existing package to
57 =head2 When upstream tags releases in git
59 Suppose that the latest stable upstream release is 1.2.2, and this has
60 been tagged '1.2.2' by upstream.
64 % git clone -oupstream https://some.upstream/foo.git
66 % git verify-tag 1.2.2
67 % git reset --hard 1.2.2
68 % git branch --unset-upstream
72 The final command detachs your master branch from the upstream remote,
73 so that git doesn't try to push anything there, or merge unreleased
74 upstream commits. If you want to maintain a copy of your packaging
75 branch on B<alioth.debian.org> in addition to B<dgit-repos>, you can
76 do something like this:
80 % git remote add -f origin git.debian.org:/git/collab-maint/foo.git
81 % git push --follow-tags -u origin master
85 Now go ahead and Debianise your package. Just make commits on the
86 master branch, adding things in the I<debian/> directory. If you need
87 to patch the upstream source, just make commits that change files
88 outside of the I<debian/> directory. It is best to separate commits
89 that touch I<debian/> from commits that touch upstream source, so that
90 the latter can be cherry-picked by upstream.
92 Note that there is no need to maintain a separate 'upstream' branch,
93 unless you also happen to be involved in upstream development. We
94 work with upstream tags rather than any branches, except when
95 forwarding patches (see FORWARDING PATCHES UPSTREAM, below).
97 Finally, you need an orig tarball. Generate one with git-archive(1):
101 % git archive -o ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz 1.2.2
105 If you are using the version 1.0 source package format, replace 'xz'
108 This tarball is ephemeral and easily regenerated, so we don't commit
109 it anywhere (e.g. with tools like pristine-tar(1)).
111 =head3 Verifying upstream's tarball releases
115 It can be a good idea to compare upstream's released tarballs with the
116 release tags, at least for the first upload of the package. If they
117 are different, you might need to add some additional steps to your
118 I<debian/rules>, such as running autotools.
120 A convenient way to perform this check is to import the tarball as
121 described in the following section, using a different value for
122 'upstream-tag', and then use git-diff(1) to compare the imported
123 tarball to the release tag. If they are the same, you can use
124 upstream's tarball instead of running git-archive(1).
128 =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs
130 We need a virtual upstream branch with virtual release tags.
131 gbp-import-orig(1) can manage this for us. To begin
141 Now create I<debian/gbp.conf>:
146 upstream-branch = upstream
147 debian-branch = master
148 upstream-tag = %(version)s
152 pristine-tar-commit = False
156 Then we can import the upstream version:
160 % git add debian/gbp.conf && git commit -m "create gbp.conf"
161 % gbp import-orig ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz
165 You are now ready to proceed as above, making commits to both the
166 upstream source and the I<debian/> directory.
168 If you want to maintain a copy of your repository on
169 B<alioth.debian.org>, you should push both the origin and the upstream
174 % git remote add -f origin git.debian.org:/git/collab-maint/foo.git
175 % git push --follow-tags -u origin master upstream
179 =head1 CONVERTING AN EXISTING PACKAGE
181 This section explains how to convert an existing Debian package to
182 this workflow. It should be skipped when debianising a new package.
184 =head2 No existing git history
193 =head2 Existing git history using another workflow
195 First, dump any existing patch queue:
199 % git rm -rf debian/patches
200 % git commit -m "drop existing quilt patch queue"
204 Now you simply need to ensure that your git HEAD is dgit-compatible,
205 i.e., it is exactly what you would get if you ran B<dpkg-buildpackage
206 -i\.git/ -I.git -S> and then unpacked the resultant source package.
208 To achieve this, you might need to delete
209 I<debian/source/local-options>. One way to have dgit check your
210 progress is to run B<dgit build-source>.
212 The dgit push will require I<--overwrite>.
214 =head1 SOURCE PACKAGE CONFIGURATION
216 =head2 debian/source/options
218 We set some source package options such that dgit can transparently
219 handle the "dropping" and "refreshing" of changes to the upstream
229 You don't need to create this file if you are using the version 1.0
230 source package format.
232 =head2 Sample text for README.source
234 It is a good idea to explain how a user can obtain a break down of the
235 changes to the upstream source:
239 The Debian packaging of foo is maintained using dgit. For the sake of
240 an efficient workflow, Debian modifications to the upstream source are
241 squashed into a single diff, rather than a series of quilt patches.
242 To obtain a patch queue for package version 1.2.3-1:
246 # apt-get install dgit
249 % git log --oneline 1.2.3..debian/1.2.3-1 -- . ':!debian'
253 See dgit(1), dgit(7) and dgit-maint-merge(7) for more information.
257 =head1 BUILDING AND UPLOADING
259 Use B<dgit build>, B<dgit sbuild>, B<dgit build-source>, and B<dgit
260 push> as detailed in dgit(1). If any command fails, dgit will provide
261 a carefully-worded error message explaining what you should do. If
262 it's not clear, file a bug against dgit. Remember to pass I<--new>
263 for the first upload.
265 As an alternative to B<dgit build> and friends, you can use a tool
266 like gitpkg(1). This works because like dgit, gitpkg(1) enforces that
267 HEAD has exactly the contents of the source package. gitpkg(1) is
268 highly configurable, and one dgit user reports using it to produce and
269 test multiple source packages, from different branches corresponding
270 to each of the current Debian suites.
272 If you want to skip dgit's checks while iterating on a problem with
273 the package build (for example, you don't want to commit your changes
274 to git), you can just run dpkg-buildpackage(1) or debuild(1) instead.
276 =head1 NEW UPSTREAM RELEASES
278 =head2 When upstream tags releases in git
280 It's a good idea to preview the merge of the new upstream release.
281 First, just check for any new or deleted files that may need
282 accounting for in your copyright file:
287 % git diff --stat master..1.2.3 -- . ':!debian'
291 You can then review the full merge diff:
295 % git merge-tree `git merge-base master 1.2.3` master 1.2.3 | $PAGER
299 Once you're satisfied with what will be merged, update your package:
303 % git archive -o ../foo_1.2.3.orig.tar.xz 1.2.3
305 % dch -v1.2.3-1 New upstream release.
306 % git add debian/changelog && git commit -m changelog
310 and you are ready to try a build.
312 Again, if you are using the version 1.0 source package format, replace
315 =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs
317 You will need the I<debian/gbp.conf> from "When upstream releases only
324 % gbp import-orig ../foo_1.2.2.orig.tar.xz
328 or if you have a working watch file
332 % gbp import-orig --uscan
336 =head1 HANDLING DFSG-NON-FREE MATERIAL
338 =head2 When upstream tags releases in git
340 We create a DFSG-clean tag to merge to master:
344 % git checkout -b pre-dfsg 1.2.3
346 % git commit -m "upstream version 1.2.3 DFSG-cleaned"
347 % git tag -s 1.2.3+dfsg
348 % git checkout master
349 % git branch -D pre-dfsg
353 Before merging the new 1.2.3+dfsg tag to master, you should first
354 determine whether it would be legally dangerous for the non-free
355 material to be publicly accessible in the git history on
358 If it would be dangerous, there is a big problem;
359 in this case please consult your archive administrators
360 (for Debian this is the dgit administrator dgit-owner@debian.org
361 and the ftpmasters ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org).
363 =head2 When upstream releases only tarballs
365 The easiest way to handle this is to add a B<Files-Excluded> field to
366 I<debian/copyright>, and a B<uversionmangle> setting in
367 I<debian/watch>. See uscan(1). Alternatively, see the I<--filter>
368 option detailed in gbp-import-orig(1).
370 =head1 FORWARDING PATCHES UPSTREAM
378 Create a new branch based off upstream's master branch.
382 git-cherry-pick(1) commits from your master branch onto your new
387 Push the branch somewhere and ask upstream to merge it, or use
388 git-format-patch(1) or git-request-pull(1).
392 For example (and it is only an example):
396 % # fork foo.git on GitHub
397 % git remote add -f fork git@github.com:spwhitton/foo.git
398 % git checkout -b fix-error upstream/master
399 % git config branch.fix-error.pushRemote fork
400 % git cherry-pick master^2
402 % # submit pull request on GitHub
406 Note that when you merge an upstream release containing your forwarded
407 patches, git and dgit will transparently handle "dropping" the patches
408 that have been forwarded, "retaining" the ones that haven't.
410 =head1 INCORPORATING NMUS
418 Alternatively, you can apply the NMU diff to your repository. The
419 next push will then require I<--overwrite>.
427 This tutorial was written and is maintained by Sean Whitton <spwhitton@spwhitton.name>. It contains contributions from other dgit contributors too - see the dgit copyright file.