Auto-generation of .spec files?

Robert Heller · External Since: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 255

Does there exist a tool to at least generate a 'base' .spec file, given
a 'proper' configure (autoconf / automake) type script? I realize that
the creation of a .spec file is not something that can be totally
automated -- I am looking for something to create a 'bare' initial .spec
file that I can then modify.

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
heller DeleteThis @deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk

DiskMan · External Since: Jan 26, 2005 Posts: 62

If you check out any of the Gnome sources, you will notice a specfile
template:

specfile.spec.in

It is used to generate a specfile after the configure script is ran... Will
L G

"Robert Heller" <heller DeleteThis @deepsoft.com> wrote in message
news:7288b$44b4ba86$404a99a1$1344@news.news-service.com...
> Does there exist a tool to at least generate a 'base' .spec file, given
> a 'proper' configure (autoconf / automake) type script? I realize that
> the creation of a .spec file is not something that can be totally
> automated -- I am looking for something to create a 'bare' initial .spec
> file that I can then modify.
>
> --
> Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
> Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
> http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
> heller DeleteThis @deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk
>

Robert Heller · External Since: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 255

At Thu, 13 Jul 2006 04:48:25 GMT " DiskMan" <nobody.DeleteThis@thewheel.com> wrote:

>
> If you check out any of the Gnome sources, you will notice a specfile
> template:
>
> specfile.spec.in
>
> It is used to generate a specfile after the configure script is ran... Will
> L G

I am looking for a *tool* to *generate* a spec file from scratch. The
*.spec.in look like manually crafted spec files that get some
configuration (looks like version numbers) fill in by the configure
script. I am looking for a tool that either creates a spec file from
the contents of the configure(.in) and Makefile.am files or maybe from
something like a spec.am file or something like that.

>
>
> "Robert Heller" <heller.DeleteThis@deepsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:7288b$44b4ba86$404a99a1$1344@news.news-service.com...
> > Does there exist a tool to at least generate a 'base' .spec file, given
> > a 'proper' configure (autoconf / automake) type script? I realize that
> > the creation of a .spec file is not something that can be totally
> > automated -- I am looking for something to create a 'bare' initial .spec
> > file that I can then modify.
> >

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
heller.DeleteThis@deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk

Michal Jaegermann · External Since: Jun 06, 2004 Posts: 62

Robert Heller <heller.DeleteThis@deepsoft.com> wrote:
>
> I am looking for a *tool* to *generate* a spec file from scratch.

If you have 'rpm-spec-mode' for emacs (included in Red Hat/Fedora
distributions for quite a while) then if you will open a new
file 'my_prog.spec' in emacs you will end up with a skeleton spec.
You will have to flesh out various sections but this is a start.
Most likely you can do an initial step in a batch mode although
I never tried.

I have seen in the past some tools which were attempting to do
a bit more than what emacs does but in general they were really
more trouble than gain. Likely that is why they are not in use
today. Writing an initial spec is a miniscule task when you
are dealing with the whole program and if this spec is really
complicated then it is not likely that a general tool will help
you much beyond basics in any case.

Michal

Durval Menezes · External Since: Aug 11, 2006 Posts: 1

Hello,

Well, not exactly what you asked for, but there's the open-source
CheckInstall tool: it will use installwatch (which basically "observe"
a "make install" execution via system call trapping) to register all
file and directory creations/copies/modifications/etc, and then produce
a complete RPM (or DEB, or Slackware PKG) package file from that
information.

CheckInstall home page is at:
http://asic-linux.com.mx/~izto/checkinstall/

Best Regards,
--
Durval Menezes (durval AT tmp DOT com DOT br, http://www.tmp.com.br/)

Robert Heller wrote:
> Does there exist a tool to at least generate a 'base' .spec file, given
> a 'proper' configure (autoconf / automake) type script? I realize that
> the creation of a .spec file is not something that can be totally
> automated -- I am looking for something to create a 'bare' initial .spec
> file that I can then modify.
>
> --
> Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
> Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
> http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
> heller.DeleteThis@deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk