PPA Changelog not displayed

[TJ]

Binary package hint: update-manager

With the increasing use of PPAs to test and evaluate improvements and bug-fixes it is important that when an update is offered the user knows the version, changes, and source of the package.

Currently update-manager doesn't display a changelog for packages from PPA archives. This is mainly because there is no changelog repository in the same style as there is for 'official' packages, at

http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/pool/

I have added code to UpdateManager.py that, when a changelog isn't found in the official changelog repository, checks if the package is from a PPA and if it is, fetches the changelog entry from the PPA archive front-page. It does some simple and effective page-scraping to extract the changelog and passes it back for displaying. It adds a note to the bottom of the changelog giving the source of the package, e.g:

Version 0.5.0-1ubuntu1~ppa1h:

  * Packaged for Ubuntu

(from PPA intuitivenipple - https://launchpad.net/~intuitivenipple/+archive)

I'm publishing update-manager 1:0.87.31~ppa1 in my PPA with this functionality enabled for anyone that wants to try it. It is available for Gutsy and Hardy. A version for Intrepid will be available once the repositories have got all the dependencies.

Later I'll add a debdiff to this report.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[anatoly techtonik (techtonik)]

It might have better chances to be integrated if submitted as pull request.