Can't call method "data" on an undefined value at /usr/share/lintian/checks/deb-format line 63

[Cosme Domínguez]

Binary package hint: cdbs

Step by step:

-> Try to build a package that uses cdbs in his debian/rules file
-> Use:

DEB_DH_BUILDDEB_ARGS = -- -Zlzma

to enable lzma compression in deb packages.

-> Run lintian and you will get some like this :

"Can't call method "data" on an undefined value at /usr/share/lintian/checks/deb-format line 63.
internal error: cannot run deb_format check on package
warning: skipping check of binary package"

I tried with freeimage, codeblocks and ogre packages.

Install lastest cdbs release from Debian (http://packages.debian.org/sid/all/cdbs/download) seems fix this "problem"

[Russ Allbery (rra-debian)]

What version of Lintian?

[Russ Allbery (rra-debian)]

Ah, never mind, I think I see it. The package has changelog symlinked to a different package, doesn't it? This is an Ubuntu-specific bug that's fallout from Ubuntu's decision to diverge from Debian and allow that. The check currently assumes that the changelog file is available in each package.

I can "fix" the error message, but only at the cost of skipping the check if the package has no changelog file.

[Niels Thykier (niels-thykier)]

Actually I suspect this is (partly) fixed by commit 3b9d80fba[1]. It is possible that the package is tagged for using LZMA compression, but it should not cause an "internal error". If this not the case, please provide the binary causing the internal error and I will have a look at it.

~Niels

[1] http://git.debian.org/?p=lintian/lintian.git;a=commitdiff;h=3b9d80fbaa99df16afe83e1b582643290807f156

This is scheduled for 2.5.0~rc2 (or newer)

[Cosme Domínguez (cosme)]

2011/3/24 Niels Thykier <email address hidden>:
> Actually I suspect this is (partly) fixed by commit 3b9d80fba[1].  It is
> possible that the package is tagged for using LZMA compression, but it
> should not cause an "internal error".  If this not the case, please
> provide the binary causing the internal error and I will have a look at
> it.
>
> ~Niels

Thanks for your help but I stopped using cdbs in favour of dh.

[Niels Thykier (niels-thykier)]

Hi

I am going to mark this as fixed then, since I believe the 2.5.0~rc2 fix should avoid the "undefined"/"internal" error problems.

~Niels