HOW TO: Using checkinstall for sources

[oddabe19]

So you want that app... yes... THAT app, so you goto the website... but... DAMN no .deb file only source files.
If you're anything like me, you hate ./configure, make, make install you just want an easy .deb package, for easy install and removing.
Well, checkinstall does that for you. Checkinstall eliminates the 'make install' area and creates AND installs a .deb package for you, therefore you can remove it with a simple 'dpkg -r foo' or in synaptic.

The first thing you need to do is install check install. So we have to uncomment universe, and apt-get check install like so:

$sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

then uncomment universe so it looks like this

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ warty universe 
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ warty universe

save and exit.
Then, open synaptic and search for checkinstall (make sure you update first) or...

 $ sudo apt-get update && apt-get install checkinstall
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  checkinstall
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 34.8kB of archives.
After unpacking 135kB of additional disk space will be used.

Enter Y to install.

Now, download that source file you need, unpack it using 'tar zxvf (or jxvf) foo' and cd to that sources directory.

then do the usual.

  ~/Path/to/folder:$ ./configure

when that is done

   ~/path/to/folder:$ make

let that finish, then, instead of doing a 'make install' do this:

   ~/path/to/folder:$ sudo checkinstall

accept all the defaults, then an option will come up to set a description. You can set one, then hit enter twice, or just hit enter. Select the next default. And that's it. You're done!!
Checkinstall installed the new .deb package for you, and put a copy of the package into that foler you were working in. Now you can move that .deb package where ever you want it and delete that folder.
Now if you want to remove that package, just 'dpkg -r pkgname' or 'apt-get remove pkgname' or do it in synaptic.

Try it out... download beep-media-player based on the other howto (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1988) , then at the end instead of doing a 'make install' do a 'checkinstall'. Then you have a .deb package for future use.

Easy as that.

Comments appriciated!!!

[tanari]

thank you
Can I use that .deb package only on my machine? or all people can use it?

[oddabe19]

Originally Posted by tanari thank you Can I use that .deb package only on my machine? or all people can use it?

Anyone, IIRC, cause i've built a few .debs using checkinstall and distributed them here. As long as you have a standard .config file (universal config, whatever you wanna call it) you should be good to go.

[tanari]

hmmm it is very good, and very easy
tomorrow i will create debs for all my favourite apps and post here

[tanari]

ok, a created debs for some packages, please test them.

Mplayer-1.0pre5
BMP-0.9.7rc2
Tomboy-0.2.2
gwget-0.90

i noticed something strange
bmp folder size is 20 MB, but bmp.deb file is only 845 KB.

[mr_ed]

Yeah, checkinstall is a great program. I was using it with Slackware last year.

As long as you have a standard .config file (universal config, whatever you wanna call it) you should be good to go.

The only other issue that can screw up is the options passed to ./configure.

[jdong]

using dh_make the proper way really isn't much harder...

[kamstrup]

dh_make... Well it wasn't /that/ hard but I have some serious troubles getting my manpage included in my package... I have packaged Drivel 1.2.2 and renamed debian/manpage.1.ex to debian/drivel.1 and made some small modifications to it. When I try a lintian it complains about no man page for drivel... Any ideas?

Where and how do I submit packages to uni-/multiverse?

Cheers

EDIT: I used the tutorial here : http://www.debian.org/doc/maint-guide/ch-start.en.html

[zenwhen]

I loved this tool in Slackware, and even though the apt repos have most of what I need, it is still nice to have his wonderful tool.

[FLeiXiuS]

Sweet HOWTO, thanks. I never knew of checkinstall, is it a recent release?