[vox-tech] finding what package provides a file in debian (cool!)

[Peter Jay Salzman]

here's a nice one that every debian user should know about.

suppose you want to compile a program, and gcc complains that it can't find a
library, say, SDL_video.h.   and you have no idea what debian package provides
this file.   use auto-apt:

   # auto-apt search SDL_video.h
   usr/include/SDL/SDL_video.h     devel/libsdl1.1-dev

so the package libsdl1.1-dev provides the SDL_video.h

it's kind of like dpkg -L in reverse.   dpkg -L tells you what files a
particular package will install on your system.   auto-apt tells you
what packages will provide you with that particular file.

but there's more here.  this very cool feature isn't even what auto-apt is
all about.  from the man page:

       auto-apt is a program that checks file access of  programs
       running  within  auto-apt environments.  If a program will
       access  a  file  of  uninstalled  package,  auto-apt  will
       install the package containing the file, by using apt-get.

wow!

pete


----- Forwarded message from Charles Baker <rascharles@yahoo.com> -----

Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 06:44:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Charles Baker <rascharles@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: X11/Xlib.h X11/xpm.h
To: deb-user <debian-user@lists.debian.org>
X-Mailing-List: <debian-user@lists.debian.org> archive/latest/183563


--- Sean 'Shaleh' Perry <shalehperry@home.com> wrote:
> 
> On 30-Nov-2001 Charles Baker wrote:
> > I just found this neat little doc app for
> windowmaker
> > called wmfortune. I tried to compile it, but it
> can't
> > find these include files: X11/Xlib.h X11/xpm.h .
> What
> > packages do I need to install to get these include
> > files and presumably their implementations? I
> checked
> > and wmfortune is not an official deb package.
> Thanks.
> > 
> 
> Easy answer: xlib-dev.
> 
> Teach a man to fish answer: install auto-apt and
> 
> $ auto-apt search Xlib.h
> usr/X11R6/include/X11/Xlib.h    devel/xlibs-dev


Thanks. I'm falling in love with Debian! The apt suite
of tools is a magnificent piece of work.



=====
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