Confusing messaging from git ubuntu build

[Karl Stenerud]

[Impact]

When attempting to build a package with an incorrect patch file, the error messages reported by git ubuntu build don't help in diagnosing the actual problem.

[Test Case]

Make a debian patch file that modifies files inside the debian directory.
call git ubuntu build-source -v

Result:

12/04/2018 11:05:00 - DEBUG:Executing: dpkg-source --commit . git-ubuntu-fixup.patch
12/04/2018 11:05:02 - ERROR:Command exited 2: dpkg-source --commit . git-ubuntu-fixup.patch
12/04/2018 11:05:02 - ERROR:stdout: dpkg-source: info: applying xyz.patch
...
  dpkg-source: info: applying modify_debian_files.patch
  patching file debian/control.in
  Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected! Skipping patch.
  8 out of 8 hunks ignored
  dpkg-source: info: the patch has fuzz which is not allowed, or is malformed
  dpkg-source: info: if patch 'modify_debian_files.patch' is correctly applied by quilt, use 'quilt refresh' to update it

12/04/2018 11:05:02 - ERROR:stderr: Can't exec "gcc": No such file or directory at /snap/git-ubuntu/446/usr/share/perl5/Dpkg/Arch.pm line 165.
  dpkg-source: warning: cannot determine CC system type, falling back to default (native compilation)
  dpkg-source: error: LC_ALL=C patch -t -F 0 -N -p1 -u -V never -E -b -B .pc/modify_debian_files.patch/ --reject-file=- < bjqd0sab.orig.03Z0vn/debian/patches/modify_debian_files.patch gave error exit status 1

[Regression Potential]

This is a messaging issue, so none.

[Frank Heimes (fheimes)]

Hmm, I'm facing a similar issue if calling 'dpkg-buildpackage -S -d' (that calls again 'dpkg-source') and having a quilt patch in place that modifies debian/* content (i.e. debian/tests/control).

While we commonly use quilt to modify also content below debian/*
reading the following in the Debian/Ubuntu policy:
The program quilt offers a basic method for recording modifications to the upstream source for Debian packaging.
(https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/modify.en.html)
makes me think.
Not sure if quilt is really limited for patching source code only (and no meta data, like debian/*) ?

The quilt patch I have 'pushes' and 'pops' totally fine, using quilt directly.
But just not if called by 'dpkg-buildpackage -S -d' (aka 'dpkg-source'):

$ dpkg-buildpackage -S -d
dpkg-buildpackage: info: source package plf-colony
dpkg-buildpackage: info: source version 6.12-1ubuntu1
dpkg-buildpackage: info: source distribution hirsute
dpkg-buildpackage: info: source changed by Frank Heimes <email address hidden>
 dpkg-source --before-build .
dpkg-source: info: using patch list from debian/patches/series
dpkg-source: info: applying lp-1916749-ignore-dis_syslink-messages-on-ppc64el-with-glibc-2.33.patch
 debian/rules clean
dh clean
   dh_clean
 dpkg-source -b .
dpkg-source: info: using source format '3.0 (quilt)'
dpkg-source: info: building plf-colony using existing ./plf-colony_6.12.orig.tar.xz
dpkg-source: info: using patch list from debian/patches/series
patching file debian/tests/control
Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected! Skipping patch.
1 out of 1 hunk ignored
dpkg-source: info: the patch has fuzz which is not allowed, or is malformed
dpkg-source: info: if patch 'lp-1916749-ignore-dis_syslink-messages-on-ppc64el-with-glibc-2.33.patch' is correctly applied by quilt, use 'quilt refresh' to update it
dpkg-source: error: LC_ALL=C patch -t -F 0 -N -p1 -u -V never -E -b -B .pc/lp-1916749-ignore-dis_syslink-messages-on-ppc64el-with-glibc-2.33.patch/ --reject-file=- < plf-colony.orig.h2y_qd/debian/patches/lp-1916749-ignore-dis_syslink-messages-on-ppc64el-with-glibc-2.33.patch subprocess returned exit status 1
dpkg-buildpackage: error: dpkg-source -b . subprocess returned exit status 2

And there is also no reject file.

[Sachin Mokashi (sachinmokashi)]

I am facing the same issue as well. Is there a resolution for this?