%doc removal behavior

[Braden McDaniel]

I'm trying to move some API docs to a -doc subpackage.  I'd like to
install these docs to /usr/share/doc/%{name}-%{version} (which
corresponds to where "make install" puts them); so I do

        %files doc
        %doc %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}/manual
        
instead of

        %files doc
        %doc doc/manual

However, I'd like to leave README and similar in the main package, where
I have

        %files
        %doc README NEWS COPYING.LESSER

The problem I'm running into is that in the course of packaging the docs
for the main package, rpm does

        rm -rf %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}

So, when it subsequently tries to package the docs for the -doc
subpackage, the "manual" subdirectory (that was put there by "make
install") has been blown away.

What can I do here? Is it possible to suppress the "rm -rf" that %doc
does?

-- 
Braden McDaniel <braden(a)endoframe.com&gt;

[Susi Lehtola]

On Wed, 2009-10-14 at 05:01 -0400, Braden McDaniel wrote:
>  The problem I'm running into is that in the course of packaging
> the docs
>  for the main package, rpm does
>  
>          rm -rf %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}
>  
>  So, when it subsequently tries to package the docs for the -doc
>  subpackage, the "manual" subdirectory (that was put there by "make
>  install") has been blown away.
>  
>  What can I do here? Is it possible to suppress the "rm -rf" that %doc
>  does? 
Just use %doc to place the files in %{_docdir}, e.g.
 %doc doc/*

If the files that should be placed in %doc don't exist in the buildroot,
you can move them there in %install, e.g.

 make install DESTDIR=%{buildroot}
 # Move the documentation here
 mv %{buildroot}%{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version} installeddocs

 %files
 %doc installeddocs/*
-- 
Jussi Lehtola
Fedora Project Contributor
jussilehtola(a)fedoraproject.org

[Braden McDaniel]

On 10/14/09 5:38 AM, Jussi Lehtola wrote:
>  On Wed, 2009-10-14 at 05:01 -0400, Braden McDaniel wrote:
> > The problem I'm running into is that in the course of packaging the docs
> > for the main package, rpm does
> >
> >          rm -rf %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}
> >
> > So, when it subsequently tries to package the docs for the -doc
> > subpackage, the "manual" subdirectory (that was put there by "make
> > install") has been blown away.
> >
> > What can I do here? Is it possible to suppress the "rm -rf" that %doc
> > does?
>
>  Just use %doc to place the files in %{_docdir}, e.g.
>    %doc doc/* 
The problem with that is that it does *not* put the files in %{_docdir} 
when it is used for a subpackage.  Instead, the files are put in 
/usr/share/doc/subpackagename-%{version}.  I don't want that.

-- 
Braden McDaniel                      e-mail: <braden(a)endoframe.com&gt;
<http://endoframe.com>               Jabber: <braden(a)jabber.org&gt;

[Susi Lehtola]

On Wed, 2009-10-14 at 15:36 -0400, Braden McDaniel wrote:
>  On 10/14/09 5:38 AM, Jussi Lehtola wrote:
>  > Just use %doc to place the files in %{_docdir}, e.g.
>  >   %doc doc/*
>  
>  The problem with that is that it does *not* put the files in %{_docdir} 
>  when it is used for a subpackage.  Instead, the files are put in 
>  /usr/share/doc/subpackagename-%{version}.  I don't want that. 
Sorry, I must have misread your question.

If you only use %docs with absolute paths, then rpm doesn't seem to
remove %{_docdir}. If you use paths relative to the builddir, then rm
-rf is run. For example

 %files
 %defattr(-,root,root,-)
 %doc A

 %files doc
 %defattr(-,root,root,-)
 %doc %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}/B

does not work (fails with file B not found), but

 %files
 %defattr(-,root,root,-)
 %doc %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}/A
 
 %files doc
 %defattr(-,root,root,-)
 %doc %{_docdir}/%{name}-%{version}/B

works just fine.


PS. This list is actually off-topic for this kind of discussion, next
time mail fedora-devel-list instead.
-- 
Jussi Lehtola
Fedora Project Contributor
jussilehtola(a)fedoraproject.org

[Braden McDaniel]

On Thu, 2009-10-15 at 00:07 +0300, Jussi Lehtola wrote: 
>  On Wed, 2009-10-14 at 15:36 -0400, Braden McDaniel wrote:
>  > On 10/14/09 5:38 AM, Jussi Lehtola wrote:
>  > > Just use %doc to place the files in %{_docdir}, e.g.
>  > >   %doc doc/*
>  > 
>  > The problem with that is that it does *not* put the files in %{_docdir} 
>  > when it is used for a subpackage.  Instead, the files are put in 
>  > /usr/share/doc/subpackagename-%{version}.  I don't want that.
>  
>  Sorry, I must have misread your question.
>  
>  If you only use %docs with absolute paths, then rpm doesn't seem to
>  remove %{_docdir}. If you use paths relative to the builddir, then rm
>  -rf is run. 
Ah, lovely.  Thanks.

>  PS. This list is actually off-topic for this kind of discussion,
> next
>  time mail fedora-devel-list instead. 
I'm sorry.  I wasn't sure if this was exclusively for policy discussion;
and a look at previous traffic here didn't make it obvious.  But I'll
direct future queries of this sort to fedora-devel-list.

-- 
Braden McDaniel <braden(a)endoframe.com&gt;