# phpman > man > apt-config(8)

[APT-CONFIG(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/APT-CONFIG/8/markdown)                                    APT                                   [APT-CONFIG(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/APT-CONFIG/8/markdown)



## NAME
       apt-config - APT Configuration Query program

## SYNOPSIS
       **apt-config** [**--empty**] [**--format** **'**_%f_ _"%v";%n_**'**] [**-o=**_config_string_] [**-c=**_config_file_] {shell |
                  dump | {-v | --version} | {-h | --help}}

## DESCRIPTION
       **apt-config** is an internal program used by various portions of the APT suite to provide
       consistent configurability. It accesses the main configuration file /etc/apt/apt.conf in a
       manner that is easy to use for scripted applications.

       Unless the **-h**, or **--help** option is given, one of the commands below must be present.

### shell
           shell is used to access the configuration information from a shell script. It is given
           pairs of arguments, the first being a shell variable and the second the configuration
           value to query. As output it lists shell assignment commands for each value present. In a
           shell script it should be used as follows:

               OPTS="-f"
               RES=`apt-config shell OPTS [MyApp::options](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/MyApp%3A%3Aoptions/markdown)`
               eval $RES
           This will set the shell environment variable $OPTS to the value of [MyApp::options](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/MyApp%3A%3Aoptions/markdown) with a
           default of **-f**.

           The configuration item may be postfixed with a /[fdbi]. f returns file names, d returns
           directories, b returns true or false and i returns an integer. Each of the returns is
           normalized and verified internally.

### dump
           Just show the contents of the configuration space.

## OPTIONS
       All command line options may be set using the configuration file, the descriptions indicate
       the configuration option to set. For boolean options you can override the config file by
       using something like **-f-**,**--no-f**, **-f=no** or several other variations.

### --empty
           Include options which have an empty value. This is the default, so use --no-empty to
           remove them from the output.

       **--format** **'**_%f_ _"%v";%n_**'**
           Defines the output of each config option. %t will be replaced with its individual name,
           %f with its full hierarchical name and %v with its value. Use uppercase letters and
           special characters in the value will be encoded to ensure that it can e.g. be safely used
           in a quoted-string as defined by RFC822. Additionally %n will be replaced by a newline,
           and %N by a tab. A % can be printed by using %%.

### -h --help
           Show a short usage summary.

### -v --version
           Show the program version.

### -c --config-file
           Configuration File; Specify a configuration file to use. The program will read the
           default configuration file and then this configuration file. If configuration settings
           need to be set before the default configuration files are parsed specify a file with the
           **APT**___**CONFIG** environment variable. See [**apt.conf**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/apt.conf/5/markdown) for syntax information.

### -o --option
           Set a Configuration Option; This will set an arbitrary configuration option. The syntax
           is **-o** [**Foo::Bar](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Foo%3A%3ABar/markdown)=bar**.  **-o** and **--option** can be used multiple times to set different options.

## SEE ALSO
       [**apt.conf**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/apt.conf/5/markdown)

## DIAGNOSTICS
       **apt-config** returns zero on normal operation, decimal 100 on error.

## BUGS
       **APT** **bug** **page**[1]. If you wish to report a bug in APT, please see
       /usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt or the [**reportbug**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/reportbug/1/markdown) command.

## AUTHORS
### Jason Gunthorpe

### APT team

## NOTES
        1. APT bug page
           <http://bugs.debian.org/src:apt>



APT 2.4.14                                30 November 2013                             [APT-CONFIG(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/APT-CONFIG/8/markdown)