Manual: dpkg-gencontrol

dpkg-gencontrol(1)				 dpkg suite				  dpkg-gencontrol(1)

NAME
       dpkg-gencontrol - generate Debian control files

SYNOPSIS
       dpkg-gencontrol [option...]

DESCRIPTION
       dpkg-gencontrol reads information from an unpacked Debian source tree and generates a binary package
       control file (which defaults to debian/tmp/DEBIAN/control); during this process it will simplify the
       relation fields.

       Thus Pre-Depends, Depends, Recommends and Suggests are simplified in this order by removing
       dependencies which are known to be true according to the stronger dependencies already parsed.  It
       will also remove any self-dependency (in fact it will remove any dependency which evaluates to true
       given the current version of the package as installed).	Logically it keeps the intersection of
       multiple dependencies on the same package.  The order of dependencies is preserved as best as
       possible: if any dependency must be discarded due to another dependency appearing further in the
       field, the superseding dependency will take the place of the discarded one.

       The other relation fields (Enhances, Conflicts, Breaks, Replaces and Provides) are also simplified
       individually by computing the union of the various dependencies when a package is listed multiple
       times in the field.

       dpkg-gencontrol also adds an entry for the binary package to debian/files.

OPTIONS
       -vversion
	   Sets the version number of the binary package which will be generated.

       -Vname=value
	   Set an output substitution variable.	 See deb-substvars(5) for discussion of output substitution.

       -Tsubstvars-file
	   Read	 substitution variables in substvars-file; the default is debian/substvars.  This option can
	   be used multiple times to read substitution variables from multiple files (since dpkg 1.15.6).

       -Dfield=value
	   Override or add an output control file field.

       -Ufield
	   Remove an output control file field.

       -ccontrol-file
	   Specifies the main source control file to read information from.  The default is debian/control.

       -lchangelog-file
	   Specifies the changelog file to read information from.  The default is debian/changelog.

       -ffiles-list-file
	   Read or write the list of files to be uploaded here, rather than using debian/files.

       -Fchangelog-format
	   Specifies the  format  of  the  changelog.	See  dpkg-parsechangelog(1)  for  information  about
	   alternative formats.

       -ppackage
	   Generate  information  for the binary package package.  If the source control file lists only one
	   binary package then this option may be omitted; otherwise it is essential to select which  binary
	   package's information to generate.

       -nfilename
	   Assume   the	  filename   of	  the	package	  will	 be   filename	 instead   of	the   normal
	   package_version_arch.deb filename.

       -is, -ip, -isp
	   These options are ignored for compatibility with older versions of the dpkg build scripts but are
	   now deprecated.  Previously they were used to tell dpkg-gencontrol to  include  the	Section	 and
	   Priority  fields  in the control file.  This is now the default behavior.  If you want to get the
	   old behavior you can use the -U option to delete the fields from the control file.

       -Ppackage-build-dir
	   Scan package-build-dir instead of debian/tmp.  This value is used to find the  default  value  of
	   the	Installed-Size substitution variable and control file field, and for the default location of
	   the output file.

       -O[filename]
	   Print the control file to standard output (or filename if specified, since dpkg  1.17.2),  rather
	   than to debian/tmp/DEBIAN/control (or package-build-dir/DEBIAN/control if -P was used).

       -?, --help
	   Show the usage message and exit.

       --version
	   Show the version and exit.

ENVIRONMENT
       DEB_HOST_ARCH
	   Sets the host architecture.

       DPKG_COLORS
	   Sets	 the  color  mode  (since  dpkg 1.18.5).  The currently accepted values are: auto (default),
	   always and never.

       DPKG_NLS
	   If set, it will be used to decide whether to activate Native	 Language  Support,  also  known  as
	   internationalization	 (or  i18n)  support  (since dpkg 1.19.0).  The accepted values are: 0 and 1
	   (default).

FILES
       debian/control
	   The source package template control file, giving version-independent information about the source
	   package and the binary packages it can produce.

       debian/files
	   The list of generated files which are part of the upload being  prepared.   dpkg-gencontrol	adds
	   the presumed filenames of binary packages whose control files it generates here.

SEE ALSO
       deb-substvars(5), deb-src-control(5), deb-changelog(5), deb-control(5).

1.23.7						 2026-03-31				  dpkg-gencontrol(1)