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9 PKGBUILD - Arch Linux package build description file
19 This manual page describes general rules about PKGBUILDs. Once a
20 PKGBUILD is written, the actual package is built using makepkg and installed
23 NOTE: An example PKGBUILD, useful for reference, is located in '{pkgdatadir}'
24 along with other example files such as a ChangeLog and an install
25 script. You can copy the provided PKGBUILD.proto file to a new package build
26 directory and make customizations to suit your needs.
29 Options and Directives
30 ----------------------
31 The following is a list of standard options and directives available for use
32 in a PKGBUILD. These are all understood and interpreted by makepkg, and most
33 of them will be directly transferred to the built package.
35 If you need to create any custom variables for use in your build process, it is
36 recommended to prefix their name with an '_' (underscore).
37 This will prevent any possible name clashes with internal makepkg variables.
38 For example, to store the base kernel version in a variable, use something
39 similar to `$_basekernver`.
42 Either the name of the package or an array of names for split packages.
43 Because it will be used in the package filename, this has to be unix-friendly.
44 Members of the array are not allowed to start with hyphens.
47 The version of the software as released from the author (e.g., '2.7.1').
48 The variable is not allowed to contain colons or hyphens.
51 This is the release number specific to the Arch Linux release. This
52 allows package maintainers to make updates to the package's configure
53 flags, for example. This is typically set to '1' for each new upstream
54 software release and incremented for intermediate PKGBUILD updates. The
55 variable is not allowed to contain hyphens.
58 This should be a brief description of the package and its functionality.
59 Try to keep the description to one line of text and not use the package's name.
62 Used to force the package to be seen as newer than any previous versions
63 with a lower epoch, even if the version number would normally not trigger
64 such an upgrade. This value is required to be a positive integer; the
65 default value if left unspecified is '0'. This is useful when the version
66 numbering scheme of a package changes (or is alphanumeric), breaking normal
67 version comparison logic. See linkman:pacman[8] for more information on
71 This field contains a URL that is associated with the software being
72 packaged. Typically the project's website.
75 This field specifies the license(s) that apply to the package.
76 Commonly used licenses can be found in '/usr/share/licenses/common'. If you
77 see the package's license there, simply reference it in the license
78 field (e.g., `license=('GPL')`). If the package provides a license not
79 available in '/usr/share/licenses/common', then you should include it
80 in the package itself and set `license=('custom')` or
81 `license=('custom:LicenseName')`. The license should be placed in
82 '$pkgdir/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname/' when building the package. If
83 multiple licenses are applicable, list all of them:
84 `license=('GPL' 'FDL')`.
87 Specifies a special install script that is to be included in the package.
88 This file should reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD, and will
89 be copied into the package by makepkg. It does not need to be included
90 in the source array (e.g., `install=pkgname.install`).
93 Specifies a changelog file that is to be included in the package.
94 This file should reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD, and will
95 be copied into the package by makepkg. It does not need to be included
96 in the source array (e.g., `changelog=$pkgname.changelog`).
99 An array of source files required to build the package. Source files
100 must either reside in the same directory as the PKGBUILD, or be a
101 fully-qualified URL that makepkg can use to download the file.
102 To make the PKGBUILD as useful as possible, use the `$pkgname` and `$pkgver`
103 variables if possible when specifying the download location. Compressed files
104 will be extracted automatically unless found in
105 the noextract array described below.
107 It is also possible to change the name of the downloaded file, which is helpful
108 with weird URLs and for handling multiple source files with the same
109 name. The syntax is: `source=('filename::url')`.
111 *noextract (array)*::
112 An array of filenames corresponding to those from the source array. Files
113 listed here will not be extracted with the rest of the source files. This
114 is useful for packages that use compressed data directly.
117 This array contains an MD5 hash for every source file specified in the
118 source array (in the same order). makepkg will use this to verify source
119 file integrity during subsequent builds. To easily generate md5sums, run
120 ``makepkg -g >> PKGBUILD''. If desired, move the md5sums line to an
121 appropriate location.
123 *sha1sums, sha256sums, sha384sums, sha512sums (arrays)*::
124 Alternative integrity checks that makepkg supports; these all behave
125 similar to the md5sums option described above. To enable use and generation
126 of these checksums, be sure to set up the `INTEGRITY_CHECK` option in
127 linkman:makepkg.conf[5].
130 An array of symbolic names that represent groups of packages, allowing
131 you to install multiple packages by requesting a single target. For
132 example, one could install all KDE packages by installing the 'kde' group.
135 Defines on which architectures the given package is available (e.g.,
136 `arch=('i686' 'x86_64')`). Packages that contain no architecture specific
137 files should use arch=('any').
140 An array of filenames, without preceding slashes, that
141 should be backed up if the package is removed or upgraded. This is
142 commonly used for packages placing configuration files in /etc. See
143 Handling Config Files in linkman:pacman[8] for more information.
146 An array of packages this package depends on to run. Entries in
147 this list should be surrounded with single quotes and contain at least
148 the package name. Entries can also include a version requirement of the
149 form 'name<>version', where <> is one of five comparisons: >= (greater
150 than or equal to), <= (less than or equal to), = (equal to), > (greater
151 than), or < (less than).
153 If the dependency name appears to be a library (ends with .so), makepkg will
154 try to find a binary that depends on the library in the built package and
155 append the version needed by the binary. Appending the version yourself
156 disables auto detection.
158 *makedepends (array)*::
159 An array of packages this package depends on to build but are not
160 needed at runtime. Packages in this list follow the same format as
163 *checkdepends (array)*::
164 An array of packages this package depends on to run its test suite
165 but are not needed at runtime. Packages in this list follow the same
166 format as depends. These dependencies are only considered when the
167 check() function is present and is to be run by makepkg.
169 *optdepends (array)*::
170 An array of packages (and accompanying reasons) that are not essential for
171 base functionality, but may be necessary to make full use of the contents
172 of this package. optdepends are currently for informational purposes only
173 and are not utilized by pacman during dependency resolution. The format
174 for specifying optdepends is:
176 optdepends=('fakeroot: for makepkg usage as normal user')
178 *conflicts (array)*::
179 An array of packages that will conflict with this package (i.e. they
180 cannot both be installed at the same time). This directive follows the
181 same format as depends. Versioned conflicts are also supported.
184 An array of ``virtual provisions'' this package provides. This allows
185 a package to provide dependencies other than its own package name. For
186 example, the dcron package can provide 'cron', which allows packages to
187 depend on 'cron' rather than 'dcron OR fcron'.
188 Versioned provisions are also possible, in the 'name=version' format.
189 For example, dcron can provide 'cron=2.0' to satisfy the 'cron>=2.0'
190 dependency of other packages. Provisions involving the '>' and '<'
191 operators are invalid as only specific versions of a package may be
194 If the provision name appears to be a library (ends with .so), makepkg will
195 try to find the library in the built package and append the correct
196 version. Appending the version yourself disables auto detection.
199 An array of packages this package should replace. This can be used
200 to handle renamed/combined packages. For example, if the 'j2re' package
201 is renamed to 'jre', this directive allows future upgrades to continue
202 as expected even though the package has moved. Sysupgrade is currently
203 the only pacman operation that utilizes this field, a normal sync will
207 This array allows you to override some of makepkg's default behavior
208 when building packages. To set an option, just include the option name
209 in the options array. To reverse the default behavior, place an ``!'' at
210 the front of the option. Only specify the options you specifically want
211 to override, the rest will be taken from linkman:makepkg.conf[5].
212 *NOTE:* 'force' is a now-removed option in favor of the top level 'epoch'
216 Strip symbols from binaries and libraries. If you frequently
217 use a debugger on programs or libraries, it may be helpful to
221 Save doc directories. If you wish to delete doc directories,
222 specify `!docs` in the array.
225 Leave libtool (.la) files in packages. Specify `!libtool` to
229 Leave empty directories in packages.
232 Compress man and info pages with gzip.
235 Compress binary executable files using UPX.
238 Allow the use of ccache during build. More useful in its negative
239 form `!ccache` with select packages that have problems building
243 Allow the use of distcc during build. More useful in its negative
244 form `!distcc` with select packages that have problems building
248 Allow the use of user-specific buildflags (CFLAGS, CXXFLAGS, LDFLAGS)
249 during build as specified in linkman:makepkg.conf[5]. More useful in
250 its negative form `!buildflags` with select packages that have problems
251 building with custom buildflags.
254 Allow the use of user-specific makeflags during build as specified
255 in linkman:makepkg.conf[5]. More useful in its negative form
256 `!makeflags` with select packages that have problems building with
257 custom makeflags such as `-j2` (or higher).
262 In addition to the above directives, the optional build() function usually
263 comprises the remainder of the PKGBUILD. This is directly sourced and executed
264 by makepkg, so anything that bash or the system has available is available for
265 use here. The function is run in `bash -e` mode, meaning any command that exits
266 with a non-zero status will cause the function to exit. Be sure any exotic
267 commands used are covered by `makedepends`.
269 All of the above variables such as `pkgname` and `pkgver` are available for use
270 in the build function. In addition, makepkg defines the following three
271 variables for use during the build and install process:
274 This contains the absolute path to the directory where the PKGBUILD is
275 located, which is usually the output of `$(pwd)` when makepkg is started.
278 This contains the directory where makepkg extracts, or copies, all source
282 This contains the directory where makepkg bundles the installed package
283 (this directory will become the root directory of your built package).
285 If you create any variables of your own in the build function, it is
286 recommended to use the bash `local` keyword to scope the variable to inside
291 An optional check() function can be specified in which a packages test-suite
292 may be run. This function is run between the build() and package() functions.
293 The function is run in `bash -e` mode, meaning any command that exits with a
294 non-zero status will cause the function to exit. Be sure any exotic commands
295 used are covered by `checkdepends`.
299 An optional package() function can be specified in addition to the build()
300 function. This function is run after the build() and check() functions. The
301 function is run in `bash -e` mode, meaning any command that exits with a
302 non-zero status will cause the function to exit. When specified in combination
303 with the fakeroot BUILDENV option in linkman:makepkg.conf[5], fakeroot usage
304 will be limited to running the packaging stage. An existing build() function
305 will be run as the user calling makepkg.
309 makepkg supports building multiple packages from a single PKGBUILD. This is
310 achieved by assigning an array of package names to the `pkgname` directive.
311 Each split package uses a corresponding packaging function with name
312 `package_foo()`, where `foo` is the name of the split package.
314 All options and directives for the split packages default to the global values
315 given in the PKGBUILD. Nevertheless, the following ones can be overridden within
316 each split package's packaging function:
317 `pkgver`, `pkgrel`, `pkgdesc`, `arch`, `license`, `groups`, `depends`,
318 `optdepends`, `provides`, `conflicts`, `replaces`, `backup`, `options`,
319 `install` and `changelog`.
321 An optional global directive is available when building a split package:
324 The name used to refer to the group of packages in the output of makepkg
325 and in the naming of source-only tarballs. If not specified, the first
326 element in the `pkgname` array is used. The variable is not allowed to
329 Install/Upgrade/Remove Scripting
330 --------------------------------
331 Pacman has the ability to store and execute a package-specific script when it
332 installs, removes, or upgrades a package. This allows a package to configure
333 itself after installation and perform an opposite action upon removal.
335 The exact time the script is run varies with each operation:
338 script is run right before files are extracted. One argument is passed:
342 script is run right after files are extracted. One argument is passed:
346 script is run right before files are extracted. Two arguments are passed
347 in the following order: new package version, old package version.
350 script is run after files are extracted. Two arguments are passed
351 in the following order: new package version, old package version.
354 script is run right before files are removed. One argument is passed:
358 script is run right after files are removed. One argument is passed:
361 To use this feature, create a file such as 'pkgname.install' and put it in the
362 same directory as the PKGBUILD script. Then use the install directive:
364 install=pkgname.install
366 The install script does not need to be specified in the source array. A
367 template install file is available in '{pkgdatadir}' as 'proto.install' for
368 reference with all of the available functions defined.
371 Development Directives
372 ----------------------
373 makepkg supports building development versions of packages without having to
374 manually update the pkgver in the PKGBUILD. This was formerly done using the
375 separate utility 'versionpkg'. In order to utilize this functionality, your
376 PKGBUILD must use correct variable names depending on the SCM being fetched
377 from (e.g., 'makepkg-git', 'mplayer-svn').
380 The generated pkgver will be the date the package is built.
383 The root of the CVS repository.
386 The CVS module to fetch.
389 The generated pkgver will be the latest SVN revision number.
392 The trunk of the SVN repository.
395 The SVN module to fetch.
398 The generated pkgver will be one formatted by the 'git-describe'
399 command, with '-' characters converted to '_' characters.
402 The URL (all protocols supported) to the GIT repository.
405 GIT tag or branch to use.
408 The generated pkgver will be the hg tip revision number.
411 The URL of the mercurial repository.
414 The repository to follow.
417 The generated pkgver will be the date the package is built.
420 URL to the repository trunk.
426 The generated pkgver will be the latest Bazaar revision number (revno).
429 URL to the bazaar repository.
432 Bazaar module to use.
437 The following is an example PKGBUILD for the 'patch' package. For more
438 examples, look through the build files of your distribution's packages. For
439 those using Arch Linux, consult the ABS tree.
442 -------------------------------
443 include::PKGBUILD-example.txt[]
444 -------------------------------
448 linkman:makepkg[8], linkman:pacman[8], linkman:makepkg.conf[5]
450 include::footer.txt[]