libgtk-3-common: Adwaita theme dependency misdetected because of missing libgtk-3-bin

[A. Eibach]

Pre-note: due to severe bugs, I had to go down from 3.19.x back to 3.18.6.
I think the following content will speak for itself:

user@mybuntubox:~$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall adwaita-icon-theme
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 70 not to upgrade.
Need to get 0 B/897 kB of archives.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
(Reading database ... 307199 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../adwaita-icon-theme_3.18.0-2ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking adwaita-icon-theme (3.18.0-2ubuntu1) over (3.18.0-2ubuntu1) ...
Setting up adwaita-icon-theme (3.18.0-2ubuntu1) ...

+++ OKAY. Adwaita Icon Theme is now installed and expected to be working. Version = __3.18.0-2__

user@mybuntubox~$ sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-common=3.18.6-1ubuntu1
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
 libgtk-3-common : Depends: adwaita-icon-theme (>= 3.18) but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: libgtk-3-0 but it is not going to be installed
E: Error, pkgProblemResolver::Resolve generated breaks, this may be caused by held packages.

There is clearly something wrong.
Just for "emphasis", I reinstalled Adwaita icon theme 3.18.x again above, to be sure it is really expected to be there.

But it seems to be a bug that libgtk-3-common does not recognize it as there.
Plus, --force-depends appears to be unavailable when using the '=' sign for a version-specific downgrade.

[Manfred Hampl (m-hampl)]

Just to verify that the dependency problem is caused by adwaita-icon-theme and not by "Recommends: libgtk-3-0"

What is the output of

sudo apt-get --no-install-recommends install libgtk-3-common=3.18.6-1ubuntu1

[A. Eibach (andi3)]

No problem, can do.

user@mybuntubox~$:~$ sudo apt-get --no-install-recommends install libgtk-3-common=3.18.6-1ubuntu1
[sudo] password for user:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed.
<snip>
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
 libgtk-3-common : Depends: adwaita-icon-theme (>= 3.18) but it is not going to be installed
E: Error, pkgProblemResolver::Resolve generated breaks, this may be caused by held packages.

Same thing, no?

[Manfred Hampl (m-hampl)]

Ok, now the only line shown is the missing dependency on adwaita-icon-theme.

As a test for a possible workaround, what is the output of

apt-get --simulate --no-install-recommends install libgtk-3-common=3.18.6-1ubuntu1 adwaita-icon-theme

[A. Eibach (andi3)]

Heheh, Manfred, I like that. You're trying to prove in the end that it's a PEBKAC case after all. But still we can agree it is none...that is, STILL. :-)

andy@andy-lubuntubox:~$ apt-get --simulate --no-install-recommends install libgtk-3-common=3.18.6-1ubuntu1 adwaita-icon-theme
NOTE: This is only a simulation!
      apt-get needs root privileges for real execution.
      Keep also in mind that locking is deactivated,
      so don't depend on the relevance to the real current situation!
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
adwaita-icon-theme is already the newest version (3.18.0-2ubuntu1).
Some packages could not be installed.
<snip>
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
 adwaita-icon-theme : Depends: libgtk-3-bin but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

HEH!
Now it wants libgtk-3-bin first...

Dude, YOU DO KNOW YOUR STUFF!
I take my hat off.

$ sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-bin=3.18.6-1ubuntu1

THAT fixed it.

Still, I think behavior is wrong, because it clearly told about
> libgtk-3-common : Depends: adwaita-icon-theme (>= 3.18) but it is not going to be installed

And adwaita...3.18 was working and installed.
It didn't mention _anything_ about libgtk-3-bin, until you did that sneaky simulation line.

Anyways, it was worth posting here, because I might need that "trick" somewhere else in the future! :)

Thanks again.