I want to make a simple RPM

erroneus · #1 5th December 2009, 07:19 PM

The learning curve is making me dizzy. I am a terrible learner in that I need a good example of a starting point to tinker with before I move on to more complex things.

I have a custom created card face file that I have copied to:

/usr/share/gnome-games-common/cards/

This is the file I would like to wrap up into an RPM to share with friends.

The only dependency that I see should be gnome-games. I just want to be able to install this one file into its place and have it properly removed when the RPM is removed.

Can someone write up a spec file that does this and provide the command lines needed to make it into an RPM? From there, I think I should be able to figure out more complex things.

RahulSundaram · #2 5th December 2009, 07:44 PM

# yum install rpmdevtools and run rpmdev-newspec and use the template or look at existing spec files at

http://cvs.fedoraproject.org/viewvc/rpms/

If it is a open source project, give me a link and I will take a look

***Firewing1*** · #3 5th December 2009, 07:55 PM

I have a tutorial on RPM building that you may find useful here: http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/sho...d.php?t=126183

Below I've written a sample spec file, I've assumed the following:

Your card face file is uploaded online somewhere and contained in a tarball
All sources in the tarball are contained in a folder following the %{name}-%{version} format, so in this case "youname-0.1" for example.
You also included LICENSE and README files (if not, or if you have additional documentation files, change the %doc macro)
You have released the face under the GPLv2+ (if not, be sure to change the License tag in the spec)

Code:

Name:           yourname
Version:        0.1
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        A custom card face for Gnome games

Group:          Amusements/Games
License:        GPLv2+
URL:            http://your-home-page.tld
Source0:        http://place-of-your-tarball
BuildRoot:      %{_tmppath}/%{name}-%{version}-%{release}-root-%(%{__id_u} -n)

Requires:       gnome-games

%description
This package installes a custom card face to use with the Gnome games.

%prep
%setup -q


%build


%install
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
install -m 0644 file1 %{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/file1

%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%files
%defattr(-,root,root,-)
%doc COPYING README
%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/*

%changelog
* Fri Nov 27 2009 Stewart Adam <s.adam at diffingo.com> - 0.1-1
- Skeleton SPEC file created

erroneus · #4 5th December 2009, 08:45 PM

Talking way over my head. All the stuff in the empty spec file is a lot of gobbledeegook to me.

The title could be "new card face." The description would be "a new card face I made for you." The file is "newcardface.svg" and the location to install it is "/usr/share/gnome-games-common/cards/" The only dependency that should be listed is "gnome-games."

Based on this, is it enough to write a working spec file?

---------- Post added at 08:45 PM CST ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM CST ----------

Okay, I pretty much copied your spec file and have an error to resolve.

Code:

Name:           CustomCards
Version:        0.1.0
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        This is a custom built card set using Cartoon characters on the card faces.  Many long hours were spent in creating this set.

Group:          Amusements/Games
License:        Creative Commons
#URL:
Source0:        file://home/daniel/rpmbuild/SOURCES/CustomCards-0.1.0.tar.gz
BuildRoot:      %{_tmppath}/%{name}-%{version}-%{release}-root-%(%{__id_u} -n)

#BuildRequires:
Requires:       gnome-games

%description
This package installes a custom card face to use with the Gnome games.

%prep
%setup -q


%build
%configure

%install
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
install -m 0644 CustomCards.svg %{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/CustomCards.svg


%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%files
%defattr(-,root,root,-)
#%doc COPYING README
%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/*

%changelog
* Fri Nov 27 2009 Stewart Adam <s.adam at diffingo.com> - 0.1-1
- Skeleton SPEC file created

What I get returned after issuing:

Code:

$ rpmbuild -bb SPECS/SouthparkCards.spec

is

Code:

Executing(%prep): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.eIgQtq
+ umask 022
+ cd /home/daniel/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ LANG=C
+ export LANG
+ unset DISPLAY
+ cd /home/daniel/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ rm -rf CustomCards-0.1.0
+ /bin/tar -xf -
+ /usr/bin/gzip -dc /home/daniel/rpmbuild/SOURCES/CustomCards-0.1.0.tar.gz
+ STATUS=0
+ '[' 0 -ne 0 ']'
+ cd CustomCards-0.1.0
/var/tmp/rpm-tmp.eIgQtq: line 34: cd: CustomCards-0.1.0: No such file or directory
error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.eIgQtq (%prep)


RPM build errors:
    Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.eIgQtq (%prep)

Do you see anything that sticks out as obvious? If it helps to know, I only have the CustomCards.svg file in the tarball.

Dies · #5 5th December 2009, 10:05 PM

Here's what I would do, drop the svg into ~/rpmbuild/SOURCES, and use something like

Code:

Name:           CustomCards
Version:        0.1.0
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        This package installs custom card faces for use with the Gnome games.

Group:          Amusements/Games
License:        Creative Commons

Source0:        CustomCards.svg

Requires:       gnome-games

%description
This is a custom built card set using Cartoon characters on the card faces. Many long hours were spent in creating this set.

%prep
%build
%configure

%install
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
mkdir -p $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/
cp %{SOURCE0} $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/


%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%files
%defattr(-,root,root,-)
%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/*.svg

%changelog
* Fri Nov 27 2009 South Park fan - 0.1-1
- Initial Release

If you get an error post back, not on Fedora right now but pretty sure we can work it out anyways. Oh yeah and if you don't mind posting the South Park cards that would be pretty sweet too.

PabloTwo · #6 5th December 2009, 10:23 PM

The %setup -q command in the %prep section, by default, expects that the source code .tar.gz file will extract to a directory named name-version, or in rpm speak, %{name}-%{version}.. The directory name should be "CustomCards-0.1.0" and it should contain your single file, "CustomCards.svg".

This is the standard format. So create a directory named "CustomCards-0.1.0" and put the CustomCards.svg file into it, then:
tar czvf CustomCards-0.1.0.tar.gz CustomCards-0.1.0/ and that is your 'correct' source code tarball package.

If a source code tarball package deviates from the 'standard', and some do, you can specify the actual directory structure of the 'untarred' source code package on the %setup line by using the -n option followed by the actual directory name.

Also, the error "no such file or directory' is your fist clue for troubleshooting. Your second step, the first being to read what the error message is saying, is to have a look at the rpm-tmp.xxxxxx file. That will often times show you exactly what the error is, such as a file path that is cockeyed, non-existent, contains a double "//", etc..

Each run of the attempted and failed rpmbuild creates a new /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.xxxx file. With a successful build, the associated rpm-tmp.xxxx file is automatically deleted, but all those from failled build attempts will remain, until you delete them yourself.

Edit: Yeah, Dies solution, posted while I was composing mine, will work also, and a bit simpler as well.

erroneus · #7 5th December 2009, 11:15 PM

What command line should I be issuing? It now wants to compile it with a C compiler?? I think I should be getting a "noarch" RPM out of it. How do I make it do that?

PabloTwo · #8 5th December 2009, 11:23 PM

If your using the Dies suggested method, you need to comment out or remove the %prep %configure and %build sections because your not compiling anything. If your using the method I suggested, then leave the %prep section in but remove the %configure and %build sections of the spec file.

rpmbuild will by default create an rpm package with '.i386" or ".i686" or ".x86_64" depending on the host machine your doing the build on. To specify something else, such as ".noarch", which is what this package should be using, do

rpmbuild -bb --target=noarch specfile

Edit: Actually, checking more carefully, having %prep and %build headings with nothing below them should not cause any problem. %prep and %build by themselves do absolutely nothing, but %configure does. Run "rpm --eval %configure" in a terminal to see how it sets the enviroment. So just make sure the %configure line is commented out or removed.

erroneus · #9 5th December 2009, 11:45 PM

Okay, success! Here's what I have and what I did:

Spec file:

Code:

Name:           SouthparkCards
Version:        0.1.0
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        This package installs custom card faces for use with the Gnome games.

Group:          Amusements/Games
BuildArch:	noarch
License:        Creative Commons

Source0:        CustomCards.svg

Requires:       gnome-games

%description
This is a custom built card set using Cartoon characters on the card faces. Many long hours were spent in creating this set.


%install
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
mkdir -p $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/
cp %{SOURCE0} $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/


%clean
rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%files
%defattr(-,root,root,-)
%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/*.svg

%changelog
* Fri Nov 27 2009 South Park fan - 0.1-1
- Initial Release

I issued the following command:

Code:

rpmbuild -bb --target=noarch SPECS/CustomCards.spec

And it resulted in the RPM file that I wanted.

PabloTwo · #10 6th December 2009, 12:17 AM

Great, the learning curve just got a wee bit shallower.

Now, for the fun of it, run: rpmlint ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/noarch/CustomCards-0.1.0.fc12.noarch.rpm

..or whatever is the actual location of the rpm package now and it's name, and behold in wonder all the "W"'s (warnings) and possible "E"'s (errors). rpmlint if very persnickity.

---------- Post added at 07:17 PM CST ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM CST ----------

Just one small observation with the spec file that could be improved. No specific "permissions" were set for the .svg file that was installed, so it used whatever was default (same as if you had done, as root: "cp CustomCards.svg /usr/share//gnome-games-common/cards/".

You could have set the permissions on that file in one of two ways:

instead of using: cp %{SOURCE0} $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/

you could use: install -m 0644 %{SOURCE0} $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_datadir}/gnome-games-common/cards/

or, leaving the "cp" method intact, add this to the %files section:

%attr(0644,root,root) CustomCards.svg

Just trying to help flatten the "curve" a bit more