can't upgrade python-reportlab; pre-removal script returned error

[mr. adams]

Binary package hint: python-reportlab

Every time I update or refresh Synaptic I get:

E: /var/cache/apt/archives/python-reportlab_2.4-1_all.deb: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

Similar to what is described in these reports:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/221829
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/334745

If I try to remove python-report lab, Synaptic complains that the package is in a very bad state and refuses.

This is a new bug after ugrading to 10.04.

Under 9.10 I used to get the *exact* same kind of errors with python-2.5 and python-2.5-minimal, until I removed them completely.

I have no idea what these packages are essential to and I do no python development myself.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: python-reportlab 2.3-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.36-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: 92886cb0758a11bfb2bb075a55830f7f
CheckboxSystem: b8f3ec504801f13fc208edb5c785b099
Date: Wed Jun 16 16:19:50 2010
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: python-reportlab

[mr. adams (christopher-lee-adams-deactivatedaccount)]

Any help with this? I can't update my system at all anymore. Attaching most recent apt history.log and term.log.

[Gediminas Paulauskas (menesis)]

First, upgrade python-central. There were bugs in it, maybe python-central 0.6.11ubuntu1 has a fix for it:
  sudo apt-get install python-central

Then try upgrading python-reportlab:
  sudo apt-get install python-reportlab

If it still fails, edit the file that causes the error:

  sudo vim /usr/share/pyshared-data/python-reportlab

It should look like this:

[python-package]
format = 1
python-version = >= 2.4
[pycentral]
version = 0.6.11
include-links = 0
[files]
/usr/share/pyshared/reportlab=d
...

Your file is missing the [pycentral] section. Add it, save, and try again.

Or, try removing the file, it will be regenerated:
  sudo rm /usr/share/pyshared-data/python-reportlab

[mr. adams (christopher-lee-adams-deactivatedaccount)]

Adding the suggested lines to /usr/share/pyshared-data/python-reportlab fixed the problem.