GiftWrap 0.1 release

[Vadi]

Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEb95mG36UU) | Download (http://giftwrap.tuxfamily.org/index.php?pages/download)

What is GiftWrap?

GiftWrap is a hassle-free way to create Ubuntu packages. It is designed for anyone who deals with distributing software - be it theme artists, software developers, or anyone else. In the future, it will support updating of existing packages, uploading to PPA's split packages and more.

It stems from the (now dead) Deb Creator project, with a complete rewrite planned in the near future.

What is planned?

A lot of things, including a redesign of the interface and a host of improved functionality. See the roadmap (http://giftwrap.wikia.com/wiki/Roadmap) a more detailed view, or just subscribe to the news feed to stay updated.

How can I help?

See the contribute (http://giftwrap.tuxfamily.org/index.php?pages/contribute) page. Any help is welcome, thanks!

Digg it (http://digg.com/linux_unix/GiftWrap_helps_you_create_debs)!

[ghindo]

Very, very interesting. I may have to give this a whirl and package Rubyripper.

Thanks for posting this!

[Vadi]

Yep. Give it a go.

[pelle.k]

I didn't see you add the build-dep in giftwrapper (youtube demonstration). Also, i build my packages in a chroot (pbuilder) as to not forget any build-deps already installed on my system.
So it worries me a little of what people may put on their PPA. But that goes for everyone not packaging in a chroot such as pbuilder, not just giftwrapper.
Other than that - great initiative.

[Vadi]

Yes, I skipped adding the missing library in the youtube vid - thinking now maybe I should've done it, but I was aiming for a quick overview.

It doesn't do chroots yet, but that is obviously planned as I'm aiming here to make a high-quality program, not a graphical checkinstall.

[Bou]

Hi Vadi,

I learnt about Giftwrap this morning and have been thinking about it. I love the idea and would like to propose a simpler interface, since wizard types were never my thing:

http://imgur.com/8gFXp.png

What do you think? Clicking on the "source button" would trigger a typical open dialogue, where you could select archives or folders. It would also allow us to use "open with giftwrap" with archives.

All the "next-next-next" steps shouldn't be necessary either; once you've entered all necessary data, the "generate" button should become active and not require any further action.

[Bou]

Once you click "generate", there could be a progress dialogue:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3736/pantallazo1i.png

In case of missing a dependency, giftwrap would ask for permission to install it (i.e. no hunting packages down the web):

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/672/pantallazo2v.png

Once the package is created, giftwrap (through gdebi integration) would offer you to install it:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7449/pantallazo3.png

[Bou]

Other random ideas would be:

-Search gnomefiles in order to fill necessary data automatically.
-Uninstall installed dependencies automatically once the package is created, to keep the system clean.
-File-roller integration: If file-roller detects certain characteristics in a compressed file, it could trigger a dialogue: "it seems this file contains softare. Do you want to create an installable package from it?"

That would make installing apps as easy as double-clicking a file and following the instructions.

[Vadi]

Yes, wizards aren't my thing too (interface redesign is being worked on next).

I love your proposal here, but it needs more thought about the more general stuff - come by on the IRC (http://giftwrap.tuxfamily.org/index.php?contact).

There is also a wiki available: http://giftwrap.wikia.com

[Vadi]

0.11 is in the PPA: fixed a missing dependency on dh-make and an icon from the Applications menu.

[Tibuda]

This is interesting. I tried to create a deb once, and it was a pain. It is not hard, but you have to figure out many things. I'll keep an eye on this.

I also agree wizards are annoying.

[pt123]

Once you click "generate", there could be a progress dialogue:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3736/pantallazo1i.png


Would possible have a deb file for this program Paperbox, have been looking for one.
Thanks

[ghindo]

Would possible have a deb file for this program Paperbox, have been looking for one.
ThanksNow you can just use GiftWrap to make one :)

[hero1900]

thank you very much for this info
:popcorn:

[Technophobia]

Thank you Vadi for this great software, I can't wait to use it.

[Vadi]

Just to note - https://launchpad.net/~giftwrap-users team has been opened, and giftwrap-users@lists.launchpad.net is the mailing list to use for any support / discussion and etc. :)

[Ubuntiac]

Hey Vadi,

This has to be THE idea, who's time has come for Ubuntu. The number of times that I've heard that the main thing holding Ubuntu back is the speed of which we can package new software for testing.

Can this be used to package a straight binary (ie without any compiling). I'm making a game in Blender, which precompiles a binary straight from the app. I just want something that lets me browse for the binary, put in the name, dependencies, license etc and click generate.

Would this be possible with GiftWrap? Every packaging guide I ever see assumes I want to learn all about make files, source packages and worse. I just want to share a binary with dependencies, a menu entry and a description!


EDIT: Well, I tried it... saved my binary in a folder in the format packagename-version and .tar.gz compressed it for giftwrap. Unfortunately I got:

dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value: -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: source package mr-cubie
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 0.1-1
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by Ubuntiac <please@dontspamme.com>
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture amd64
fakeroot debian/rules clean
dh_testdir
dh_testroot
rm -f build-stamp configure-stamp
# Add here commands to clean up after the build process.
/usr/bin/make clean
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/user/.giftwrap/mr-cubie/mr-cubie-0.1'
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `clean'. Stop.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/user/.giftwrap/mr-cubie/mr-cubie-0.1'
make: *** [clean] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules clean gave error exit status 2


Any way around this?

[xuCGC002]

Why didn't anyone else make it this easy to package .DEBs?

Amazing, I'll try it out tomorrow morning.

[Ubuntiac]

Why didn't anyone else make it this easy to package .DEBs?

Better yet: Why hasn't everyone heard of this, despitew the fact its been out (nearly) 2 months? Deb-a-day? Planet Gnome? Plaet KDE? Phoronix? All of the Ubuntu / Debian podcasts?

This really should be on them all.

Well, if it works the way *I* want, anyway! ;)

[xuCGC002]

I tried compiling DOOM Legacy 1.42, but it keeps saying:

Unable to detect the top source folder in the archive. This should be something like <name>-<version>.

I'm not sure what to do.

EDIT: The top source folder is doomlegacy_142_src.

[Ubuntiac]

Maybe try changing the folder name to: DoomLegacy-1.42

Just a guess...

[569874123]

Very nice project. Is it still being developed?

[Vadi]

Yep.

[Ubuntiac]

So uh,

Can GiftWrap be used to package a straight binary?

[Vadi]

Not yet.

[Ubuntiac]

Can Giftwrap do packages that normally compile with:

a) cmake (eg koffice apps)
b) Scons (eg Blender)

? Appologies for if this is obvious. Whats attractive about giftwrap is that it's usable by someone who doesn't know how to compile. ;) Thanks again for an awesome utility that *everyone* should know about!

[Locke_99GS]

So uh,

Can GiftWrap be used to package a straight binary?

Use epm for that.

[hoppipolla]

Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEb95mG36UU) | Download (http://giftwrap.tuxfamily.org/index.php?pages/download)

What is GiftWrap?

GiftWrap is a hassle-free way to create Ubuntu packages. It is designed for anyone who deals with distributing software - be it theme artists, software developers, or anyone else. In the future, it will support updating of existing packages, uploading to PPA's split packages and more.

It stems from the (now dead) Deb Creator project, with a complete rewrite planned in the near future.

What is planned?

A lot of things, including a redesign of the interface and a host of improved functionality. See the roadmap (http://giftwrap.wikia.com/wiki/Roadmap) a more detailed view, or just subscribe to the news feed to stay updated.

How can I help?

See the contribute (http://giftwrap.tuxfamily.org/index.php?pages/contribute) page. Any help is welcome, thanks!

Digg it (http://digg.com/linux_unix/GiftWrap_helps_you_create_debs)!

oo that's clever! Someone's been using the ol' noggin ^_^

[Ubuntiac]

Use epm for that.

Interesting. Thanks! I'll look into that...

[Gyrotwister]

I just managed to package and install Crrcsim from a .tar.gz without touching the terminal. I've never packaged an app before. The only thing is, I didn't get an icon installed in the Applications menu. I had to do that manually after the .deb was installed.

Is there something I can do during packaging to make it so the Crrcsim launch icon gets added to the games menu when installed?

[Vadi]

Not at the moment

[titopagan]

I tried compiling DOOM Legacy 1.42, but it keeps saying:


I'm not sure what to do.

EDIT: The top source folder is doomlegacy_142_src.



Maybe try changing the folder name to: DoomLegacy-1.42

Just a guess...

@xuCGC002-- did the above sugestion work for you?

[MrQuincle]

Dear all,

It was hard for me to find a tutorial for GiftWrap. So, I am gonna add some additional information regarding a C program in the CDT environment in Eclipse. Say I am gonna create the package "linda"...

Example: linda package
Title: The Linda engine is a threadpool for TCP/IP
Description: The Linda engine is a threadpool for TCP/IP powered by an abbey. Part of the CHAP software platform.
Section: Libraries

Add Makefile to Eclipse
Regretfully Eclipse has such a Makefile management system that it is almost impossible to get it running. :(

You have to add your own custom Makefile in the root of the project directory. Make sure you are in a real directory, not one soft linked from somewhere else! (GiftWrap can't cope with that yet.) The following is the content of the Makefile I created. Like you see it just evokes the makefile in the Debug directory. And it adds an install section. Add echo statements over there if you want to communicate during the installation process with the person installing your stuff.



all:
(cd Debug; make $@)

clean:
(cd Debug; make $@)

install:
sudo cp Debug/liblinda.so /usr/lib
sudo mkdir -p /usr/include/linda
sudo cp inc/*.h /usr/include/linda
It is very convenient to run giftwrap from the command line. For instance, on deleting a previously made package, it needs confirmation to delete the .svn directories from the command line (the developer didn't use the flag -rf for removal). The symlink error is communicated by the cryptic message: "can't cd to /home/anne/.giftwrap/linda/linda-0.0.20091120". (When I did ls -latr, I saw that it was referring to the wrong directory.)

[john4]

Hey Vadi,

This has to be THE idea, who's time has come for Ubuntu. The number of times that I've heard that the main thing holding Ubuntu back is the speed of which we can package new software for testing.

Can this be used to package a straight binary (ie without any compiling). I'm making a game in Blender, which precompiles a binary straight from the app. I just want something that lets me browse for the binary, put in the name, dependencies, license etc and click generate.

Would this be possible with GiftWrap? Every packaging guide I ever see assumes I want to learn all about make files, source packages and worse. I just want to share a binary with dependencies, a menu entry and a description!


EDIT: Well, I tried it... saved my binary in a folder in the format packagename-version and .tar.gz compressed it for giftwrap. Unfortunately I got:

dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value: -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: source package mr-cubie
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 0.1-1
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by Ubuntiac <please@dontspamme.com>
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture amd64
fakeroot debian/rules clean
dh_testdir
dh_testroot
rm -f build-stamp configure-stamp
# Add here commands to clean up after the build process.
/usr/bin/make clean
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/user/.giftwrap/mr-cubie/mr-cubie-0.1'
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `clean'. Stop.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/user/.giftwrap/mr-cubie/mr-cubie-0.1'
make: *** [clean] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules clean gave error exit status 2


Any way around this?

Has any one solved this. I'm trying to create a PPA for our FOSS project (java web app) and I'm getting the same error.

Thank you,

John

[Ubuntiac]

Nope, sorry. I never did manage to find an easy way to package a single binary.

If you find a way, I'd love to hear it!