ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

[Dimitri John Ledkov <xnox@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 5 January 2014 03:40, Robert Schroll <rschroll@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> From the little that I understand of it, click packages are just simplified
> deb packages.  So, is it possible to convert a click package into a deb?  If
> so, how?
>
> I ask because I'm working to make my Ubuntu Touch app usable on the desktop
> as well as the phone.  While you can install click packages on the desktop,
> most people are probably more familiar with debs.  Since I'm already set up
> to build click packages, I thought I'd see if it's possible to convert those
> into debs before trying to learn how to build debs directly.
>

Whilst the implementation detail is correct that both are tar archives
inside of an ar. Policy wise it's not possible to simply convert a
.click into .deb and expect it to be properly functional - it will not
install correctly, executables will not be available on the path,
.desktop file will not get indexed, one will not be able to find that
app from the dash, etc...

There is work in progress on making .click packages workable on unity7
desktops, but that is not complete yet.

So yes, you do need to package it "properly" for the desktop to
provide working .debs. You can look at core-apps projects which did
start out packaged as normal .debs and only later converted to clicks
as well. See this ppa
https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-touch-coreapps-drivers/+archive/daily
and packaging which is I think in the respective upstream branches for
those projects.

One doesn't need to learn "all of deb packaging" and simply copy/adapt
core-apps packaging which is fairly minimal and straightforward.

-- 
Regards,

Dimitri.