{ "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "# dpkg-scanpackages(1) (man)\n\n## NAME\n\ndpkg-scanpackages - create Packages index files\n\n## SYNOPSIS\n\ndpkg-scanpackages [option...] binary-path [override-file [path-prefix]] > Packages\n\n## DESCRIPTION\n\ndpkg-scanpackages sorts through a tree of Debian binary packages and creates a Packages file,\nused by apt(8), dselect(1), etc, to tell the user what packages are available for\ninstallation. These Packages files are the same as those found on Debian archive sites and\nCD-ROMs. You might use dpkg-scanpackages yourself if making a directory of local packages to\ninstall on a cluster of machines.\n\n## Sections\n\n- **NAME**\n- **SYNOPSIS**\n- **DESCRIPTION**\n- **OPTIONS** (7 subsections)\n- **ENVIRONMENT**\n- **DIAGNOSTICS**\n- **SEE ALSO**\n\nUse structuredContent.sections for detailed options, examples, and full documentation.\n" } ], "structuredContent": { "command": "dpkg-scanpackages", "section": "1", "mode": "man", "summary": "dpkg-scanpackages - create Packages index files", "synopsis": "dpkg-scanpackages [option...] binary-path [override-file [path-prefix]] > Packages", "tldr_summary": null, "tldr_examples": [], "tldr_source": null, "flags": [ { "flag": "-t", "long": "--type", "arg": null, "description": "Scan for *.type packages, instead of *.deb." }, { "flag": "-e", "long": "--extra-override", "arg": null, "description": "Scan file to find supplementary overrides (the file can be compressed since dpkg 1.15.5). See deb-extra-override(5) for more information on its format." }, { "flag": "-a", "long": "--arch", "arg": null, "description": "Use a pattern consisting of *all.deb and *arch.deb instead of scanning for all debs." }, { "flag": "-h", "long": "--hash", "arg": null, "description": "Only generate file hashes for the comma-specified list specified (since dpkg 1.17.14). The default is to generate all currently supported hashes. Supported values: md5, sha1, sha256." }, { "flag": "-m", "long": "--multiversion", "arg": null, "description": "Include all found packages in the output." }, { "flag": "-M", "long": "--medium", "arg": null, "description": "Add an X-Medium field containing the value id-string (since dpkg 1.15.5). This field is required if you want to generate Packages.cd files for use by the multicd access method of dselect. -?, --help Show the usage message and exit." }, { "flag": "", "long": "--version", "arg": null, "description": "Show the version and exit." } ], "examples": [], "see_also": [ { "name": "dpkg", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg/1/json" }, { "name": "dselect", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dselect/1/json" }, { "name": "deb-override", "section": "5", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/deb-override/5/json" }, { "name": "deb-extra-override", "section": "5", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/deb-extra-override/5/json" }, { "name": "dpkg-scansources", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg-scansources/1/json" } ], "section_outline": [ { "name": "NAME", "lines": 2, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "SYNOPSIS", "lines": 2, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "DESCRIPTION", "lines": 25, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "OPTIONS", "lines": 1, "subsections": [ { "name": "-t --type", "lines": 2, "flag": "-t", "long": "--type" }, { "name": "-e --extra-override", "lines": 3, "flag": "-e", "long": "--extra-override" }, { "name": "-a --arch", "lines": 2, "flag": "-a", "long": "--arch" }, { "name": "-h --hash", "lines": 4, "flag": "-h", "long": "--hash" }, { "name": "-m --multiversion", "lines": 2, "flag": "-m", "long": "--multiversion" }, { "name": "-M --medium", "lines": 7, "flag": "-M", "long": "--medium" }, { "name": "--version", "lines": 2, "long": "--version" } ] }, { "name": "ENVIRONMENT", "lines": 9, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "DIAGNOSTICS", "lines": 5, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "SEE ALSO", "lines": 5, "subsections": [] } ], "sections": { "NAME": { "content": "dpkg-scanpackages - create Packages index files\n", "subsections": [] }, "SYNOPSIS": { "content": "dpkg-scanpackages [option...] binary-path [override-file [path-prefix]] > Packages\n", "subsections": [] }, "DESCRIPTION": { "content": "dpkg-scanpackages sorts through a tree of Debian binary packages and creates a Packages file,\nused by apt(8), dselect(1), etc, to tell the user what packages are available for\ninstallation. These Packages files are the same as those found on Debian archive sites and\nCD-ROMs. You might use dpkg-scanpackages yourself if making a directory of local packages to\ninstall on a cluster of machines.\n\nNote: If you want to access the generated Packages file with apt(8) you will probably need to\ncompress the file with xz(1) (generating a Packages.xz file), bzip2(1) (generating a\nPackages.bz2 file) or gzip(1) (generating a Packages.gz file). apt(8) ignores uncompressed\nPackages files except on local access (i.e. file:// sources).\n\nbinary-path is the name of the tree of the binary packages to process (for example,\ncontrib/binary-i386). It is best to make this relative to the root of the Debian archive,\nbecause every Filename field in the new Packages file will start with this string.\n\noverride-file is the name of a file to read which contains information about how the package\nfits into the distribution (the file can be compressed since dpkg 1.15.5); see deb-\noverride(5).\n\npath-prefix is an optional string to be prepended to the Filename fields.\n\nIf more than one version of a package is found only the newest one is included in the output.\nIf they have the same version and only differ in architecture only the first one found is\nused.\n", "subsections": [] }, "OPTIONS": { "content": "", "subsections": [ { "name": "-t --type", "content": "Scan for *.type packages, instead of *.deb.\n", "flag": "-t", "long": "--type" }, { "name": "-e --extra-override", "content": "Scan file to find supplementary overrides (the file can be compressed since dpkg 1.15.5).\nSee deb-extra-override(5) for more information on its format.\n", "flag": "-e", "long": "--extra-override" }, { "name": "-a --arch", "content": "Use a pattern consisting of *all.deb and *arch.deb instead of scanning for all debs.\n", "flag": "-a", "long": "--arch" }, { "name": "-h --hash", "content": "Only generate file hashes for the comma-specified list specified (since dpkg 1.17.14).\nThe default is to generate all currently supported hashes. Supported values: md5, sha1,\nsha256.\n", "flag": "-h", "long": "--hash" }, { "name": "-m --multiversion", "content": "Include all found packages in the output.\n", "flag": "-m", "long": "--multiversion" }, { "name": "-M --medium", "content": "Add an X-Medium field containing the value id-string (since dpkg 1.15.5). This field is\nrequired if you want to generate Packages.cd files for use by the multicd access method\nof dselect.\n\n-?, --help\nShow the usage message and exit.\n", "flag": "-M", "long": "--medium" }, { "name": "--version", "content": "Show the version and exit.\n", "long": "--version" } ] }, "ENVIRONMENT": { "content": "DPKGCOLORS\nSets the color mode (since dpkg 1.18.5). The currently accepted values are: auto\n(default), always and never.\n\nDPKGNLS\nIf set, it will be used to decide whether to activate Native Language Support, also known\nas internationalization (or i18n) support (since dpkg 1.19.0). The accepted values are:\n0 and 1 (default).\n", "subsections": [] }, "DIAGNOSTICS": { "content": "dpkg-scanpackages outputs the usual self-explanatory errors. It also warns about packages\nthat are in the wrong subdirectory, are duplicated, have a Filename field in their control\nfile, are missing from the override file, or have maintainer substitutions which do not take\neffect.\n", "subsections": [] }, "SEE ALSO": { "content": "dpkg(1), dselect(1), deb-override(5), deb-extra-override(5), dpkg-scansources(1).\n\n\n\n1.21.1 2025-09-09 dpkg-scanpackages(1)", "subsections": [] } } } }