Bug#801894: autopkgtest: Support conditional dependencies

[Barry Warsaw]

On Oct 21, 2015, at 09:41 AM, Martin Pitt wrote:

>Barry Warsaw [2015-10-15 13:48 -0400]:
>> With python-pex, an extra dependency is required on Ubuntu that isn't
>> required on Debian.  Originally I was keeping an Ubuntu delta that
>> only differed by including the extra dependency in d/tests/control.
>
>Out of interest, this does sound like a bug, no?

Oh, it's a bug, but not in pex.  The bug is in ubuntu-release-upgrader because
its package install creates dangling symlinks which are only satisfied when
other packages are installed.  I actually have a MP to fix this:

https://code.launchpad.net/~barry/ubuntu-release-upgrader/lp1485093

>If we need to take diversion between Debian and derivatives into
>account, then maybe this should be done more generally, similarly to
>deiban/patches/series.ubuntu? E. g. there could be a
>debian/tests/control.<dpkg vendor name>, and if that doesn't exist,
>fall back to the usual debian/tests/control ?

That's a great idea.

However, I'd suggest always running control.<vendor> and control.  That way
only the delta needs to be defined in control.<vendor> so it reduces
duplication.  If there is no overlap between the tests for various vendors,
then a package could just include only e.g. control.ubuntu and control.debian,
etc.

>While that would mean more duplication in your particular case (take
>it as motivation to fix that delta :), and it really smells like a
>bug) it might also help with some other use cases, like you want to
>run different tests on Debian and Ubuntu.

It's entirely possible, but maybe only theoretical right now.  We certainly
have packages in Ubuntu that aren't in Debian, and the presence of those
packages may affect the tests of other packages, even without considering
bugs.
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