Dpkg::Changelog(3perl) libdpkg-perl Dpkg::Changelog(3perl)
NAME
Dpkg::Changelog - base class to implement a changelog parser
DESCRIPTION
Dpkg::Changelog is a class representing a changelog file as an array of
changelog entries (Dpkg::Changelog::Entry). By deriving this class and
implementing its parse() method, you add the ability to fill this
object with changelog entries.
METHODS
$c = Dpkg::Changelog->new(%options)
Creates a new changelog object.
$c->set_options(%opts)
Change the value of some options. "verbose" (defaults to 1) defines
whether parse errors are displayed as warnings by default.
"reportfile" is a string to use instead of the name of the file
parsed, in particular in error messages. "range" defines the range
of entries that we want to parse, the parser will stop as soon as
it has parsed enough data to satisfy $c->get_range($opts{range}).
$count = $c->parse($fh, $description)
Read the filehandle and parse a changelog in it. The data in the
object is reset before parsing new data.
Returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with
success.
This method needs to be implemented by one of the specialized
changelog format subclasses.
$count = $c->load($filename)
Parse $filename contents for a changelog.
Returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with
success.
$c->reset_parse_errors()
Can be used to delete all information about errors occurred during
previous parse() runs.
$c->parse_error($file, $line_nr, $error, [$line])
Record a new parse error in $file at line $line_nr. The error
message is specified with $error and a copy of the line can be
recorded in $line.
$c->get_parse_errors()
Returns all error messages from the last parse() run. If called in
scalar context returns a human readable string representation. If
called in list context returns an array of arrays. Each of these
arrays contains
1. a string describing the origin of the data (a filename
usually). If the reportfile configuration option was given, its
value will be used instead.
2. the line number where the error occurred
3. an error description
4. the original line
$c->set_unparsed_tail($tail)
Add a string representing unparsed lines after the changelog
entries. Use undef as $tail to remove the unparsed lines currently
set.
$c->get_unparsed_tail()
Return a string representing the unparsed lines after the changelog
entries. Returns undef if there's no such thing.
@{$c}
Returns all the Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects contained in this
changelog in the order in which they have been parsed.
$c->get_range($range)
Returns an array (if called in list context) or a reference to an
array of Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects which each represent one
entry of the changelog. $range is a hash reference describing the
range of entries to return. See section "RANGE SELECTION".
$c->abort_early()
Returns true if enough data have been parsed to be able to return
all entries selected by the range set at creation (or with
set_options).
$str = $c->output()
"$c"
Returns a string representation of the changelog (it's a
concatenation of the string representation of the individual
changelog entries).
$c->output($fh)
Output the changelog to the given filehandle.
$c->save($filename)
Save the changelog in the given file.
$control = $c->format_range($format, $range)
Formats the changelog into Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects
representing the entries selected by the optional range specifier
(see "RANGE SELECTION" for details). In scalar context returns a
Dpkg::Index object containing the selected entries, in list context
returns an array of Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects.
With format dpkg the returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog object is
coalesced from the entries in the changelog that are part of the
range requested, with the fields described below, but considering
that "selected entry" means the first entry of the selected range.
With format rfc822 each returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects
represents one entry in the changelog that is part of the range
requested, with the fields described below, but considering that
"selected entry" means for each entry.
The different formats return undef if no entries are matched. The
following fields are contained in the object(s) returned:
Source
package name (selected entry)
Version
packages' version (selected entry)
Distribution
target distribution (selected entry)
Urgency
urgency (highest of all entries in range)
Maintainer
person that created the (selected) entry
Date
date of the (selected) entry
Timestamp
date of the (selected) entry as a timestamp in seconds since
the epoch
Closes
bugs closed by the (selected) entry/entries, sorted by bug
number
Changes
content of the (selected) entry/entries
RANGE SELECTION
A range selection is described by a hash reference where the allowed
keys and values are described below.
The following options take a version number as value.
since
Causes changelog information from all versions strictly later than
version to be used.
until
Causes changelog information from all versions strictly earlier
than version to be used.
from
Similar to "since" but also includes the information for the
specified version itself.
to Similar to "until" but also includes the information for the
specified version itself.
The following options don't take version numbers as values:
all If set to a true value, all entries of the changelog are returned,
this overrides all other options.
count
Expects a signed integer as value. Returns "value" entries from the
top of the changelog if set to a positive integer, and abs(value)
entries from the tail if set to a negative integer.
offset
Expects a signed integer as value. Changes the starting point for
"count", either counted from the top (positive integer) or from the
tail (negative integer). "offset" has no effect if "count" wasn't
given as well.
Some examples for the above options. Imagine an example changelog with
entries for the versions 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0 and 3.1.
Range Included entries
----- ----------------
since => '2.0' 3.1, 3.0, 2.2
until => '2.0' 1.3, 1.2
from => '2.0' 3.1, 3.0, 2.2, 2.1, 2.0
to => '2.0' 2.0, 1.3, 1.2
count => 2 3.1, 3.0
count => -2 1.3, 1.2
count => 3, offset => 2 2.2, 2.1, 2.0
count => 2, offset => -3 2.0, 1.3
count => -2, offset => 3 3.0, 2.2
count => -2, offset => -3 2.2, 2.1
Any combination of one option of "since" and "from" and one of "until"
and "to" returns the intersection of the two results with only one of
the options specified.
CHANGES
Version 2.00 (dpkg 1.20.0)
Remove methods: $c->dpkg(), $c->rfc822().
Version 1.01 (dpkg 1.18.8)
New method: $c->format_range().
Deprecated methods: $c->dpkg(), $c->rfc822().
New field Timestamp in output formats.
Version 1.00 (dpkg 1.15.6)
Mark the module as public.
1.22.6 2025-09-18 Dpkg::Changelog(3perl)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Tue Dec 16 17:06:34 CET 2025.