NAME

       apt-mark - show, set and unset various settings for a package

SYNOPSIS

       apt-mark {-f=filename | {auto | manual} pkg...  | {showauto | showmanual} [pkg...] } | {-v | --version} |
                {-h | --help}

       apt-mark {hold | unhold | install | remove | purge} pkg...  |
                {showhold | showinstall | showremove | showpurge} [pkg...]

DESCRIPTION

       apt-mark can be used as a unified front-end to set various settings for a package, such as marking a
       package as being automatically/manually installed or changing dpkg selections such as hold, install,
       deinstall and purge which are respected e.g. by apt-get dselect-upgrade or aptitude.

AUTOMATICALLY AND MANUALLY INSTALLED PACKAGES

       When you request that a package is installed, and as a result other packages are installed to satisfy its
       dependencies, the dependencies are marked as being automatically installed, while the package you
       installed explicitly is marked as manually installed. Once an automatically installed package is no
       longer depended on by any manually installed package it is considered no longer needed and e.g.  apt-get
       or aptitude will at least suggest removing them.

       auto
           auto is used to mark a package as being automatically installed, which will cause the package to be
           removed when no more manually installed packages depend on this package.

       manual
           manual is used to mark a package as being manually installed, which will prevent the package from
           being automatically removed if no other packages depend on it.

       showauto
           showauto is used to print a list of automatically installed packages with each package on a new line.
           All automatically installed packages will be listed if no package is given. If packages are given
           only those which are automatically installed will be shown.

       showmanual
           showmanual can be used in the same way as showauto except that it will print a list of manually
           installed packages instead.

   Options
       -f=filename, --file=filename
           Read/Write package stats from the filename given with the parameter filename instead of from the
           default location, which is extended_status in the directory defined by the Configuration Item:
           Dir::State.

PREVENT CHANGES FOR A PACKAGE

       hold
           hold is used to mark a package as held back, which will prevent the package from being automatically
           installed, upgraded or removed.

       unhold
           unhold is used to cancel a previously set hold on a package to allow all actions again.

       showhold
           showhold is used to print a list of packages on hold in the same way as for the other show commands.

SCHEDULE PACKAGES FOR INSTALL, REMOVE AND PURGE

       Some front-ends like apt-get dselect-upgrade can be used to apply previously scheduled changes to the
       install state of packages. Such changes can be scheduled with the install, remove (also known as
       deinstall) and purge commands. Packages with a specific selection can be displayed with showinstall,
       showremove and showpurge respectively. More information about these so called dpkg selections can be
       found in dpkg(1).

OPTIONS

       -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) for syntax information.

       -o, --option
           Set a Configuration Option; This will set an arbitrary configuration option. The syntax is -o
           Foo::Bar=bar.  -o and --option can be used multiple times to set different options.

FILES

       /var/lib/apt/extended_states
           Status list of auto-installed packages. Configuration Item: Dir::State::extended_states.

SEE ALSO

       apt-get(8),aptitude(8),apt.conf(5)

DIAGNOSTICS

       apt-mark returns zero on normal operation, non-zero 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) command.

AUTHORS

       Mike O'Connor

       APT team

NOTES

        1. APT bug page
           http://bugs.debian.org/src:apt