apt-build package configuration fails due to missing sources.list

[Sridhar Dhanapalan]

Binary package hint: apt-build

When installing/configuring apt-build, I am asked if a modification can be made to my apt sources. I don't have a /etc/apt/sources.list file, instead using files in /etc/sources.list.d. This causes the apt-build installation to fail. Adding a /etc/apt/sources.list file makes the problem go away, but the package should not assume that this file exists.

dpkg output is as follows:

Setting up apt-build (0.12.25) ...
grep: /etc/apt/sources.list: No such file or directory
cat: /etc/apt/sources.list: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing apt-build (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 apt-build
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Setting up apt-build (0.12.25) ...
grep: /etc/apt/sources.list: No such file or directory
cat: /etc/apt/sources.list: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing apt-build (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 apt-build

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

Confirmed.
What do you think should be done? Should the postinst create a new sources.list, or add a file to /etc/apt/sources.list.d?
Adding a file to /etc/apt/sources.list.d might even become the new behaviour.

However, currently it's important that the apt-build repository is the first one, so packages are considered for update, if they have the same version.

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

For Gutsy it's the safest/best to just create the sources.list. Can you confirm this?

Debdiff attached.

[Sridhar Dhanapalan (sridhar)]

It does sound easiest to just create a sources.list if it doesn't exist, instead of bothering with sources.list.d. I don't know of any problems which would arise from this.

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

apt-build (0.12.28ubuntu1) gutsy; urgency=low

  * debian/postinst: Handle nonexistent /etc/apt/sources.list
    (LP: #149360)
  * Modify Maintainer value to match the DebianMaintainerField
    specification.

 -- dAniel hAhler <email address hidden> Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:45:11 +0200