r1750: document dh_clean removal

[debhelper.git] / doc / PROGRAMMING

diff --git a/doc/PROGRAMMING b/doc/PROGRAMMING
index d90d50caadbee770d9e33ef6e177d05f5d039d85..8151c3ef065c15096f1c71e5a9b64db50e66233e 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/PROGRAMMING
+++ b/doc/PROGRAMMING
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 This file documents things you should know to write a new debhelper program.
-Any program with a name that debins with dh_ should conform to these
+Any program with a name that begins with dh_ should conform to these
 guidelines (with the historical exception of dh_make).
 
 Standardization:
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ have a lot of noise output when all the debhelper commands in a debian/rules
 are run, so the important stuff is clearly visible.
 
 Debhelper programs should accept all options listed in the "SHARED
-DEBHELPER OPTIONS" section of debhelper(1), including and any long forms of
+DEBHELPER OPTIONS" section of debhelper(7), including any long forms of
 these options, like --verbose . If necessary, the options may be ignored.
 
 If debhelper commands need config files, they should use
@@ -29,16 +29,18 @@ checked for config information for the first binary package in
 debian/control. Also, debhelper commands should accept the same sort of
 information that appears in the config files, on their command lines, if
 possible, and apply that information to the first package they act on.
+The config file format should be as simple as possible, generally just a
+list of files to act on.
 
 Debhelper programs should never modify the debian/postinst, debian/prerm,
-etc scripts, instead, they can add lines to debian/postinst.debhelper, etc. 
+etc scripts. Instead, they can add lines to debian/postinst.debhelper, etc. 
 The autoscript() function (see below) is one easy way to do this.
 dh_installdeb is an exception, it will run after the other commands and
 merge these modifications into the actual postinst scripts.
 
 In general, files named debian/*.debhelper are internal to debhelper, and
-their expstence or use should not be relied on by external programs such as
-the build process of a package.
+their existence or use should not be relied on by external programs such as
+the build process of a package. These files will be deleted by dh_clean.
 
 Debhelper programs should default to doing exactly what policy says to do.
 
@@ -134,6 +136,9 @@ switch              variable        description
                                dh_installemacsen will ever use this)
 --number       PRIORITY        will be set to a number (deprecated)
 --priority     PRIORITY        will be set to a number
+--name         NAME            a name to use for installed files, instead of
+                               the package name
+--error-handler        ERROR_HANDLER   a function to call on error
 
 Any additional command line parameters that do not start with "-" will be 
 ignored, and you can access them later just as you normally would.
@@ -148,7 +153,7 @@ The following keys are also set in the %dh hash when you call init():
 MAINPACKAGE    the name of the first binary package listed in
                debian/control
 FIRSTPACKAGE   the first package we were instructed to act on. This package
-               typically gets special treatment, additional arguments
+               typically gets special treatment; additional arguments
                specified on the command line may effect it.
 
 Functions:
@@ -233,6 +238,10 @@ delsubstvar($package, $substvar)
 excludefile($filename)
        This function returns true if -X has been used to ask for the file
        to be excluded.
+is_udeb($package)
+       Returns true if the package is marked as a udeb in the control
+       file.
+udeb_filename($package)
+       Returns the filename of the udeb package.
 
 -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>
-