Provided by: libdpkg-perl_1.21.21ubuntu1_all 
NAME
Dpkg::Changelog - base class to implement a changelog parser
DESCRIPTION
Dpkg::Changelog is a class representing a changelog file as an array of changelog entries
(Dpkg::Changelog::Entry). By deriving this class and implementing its parse method, you
add the ability to fill this object with changelog entries.
METHODS
$c = Dpkg::Changelog->new(%options)
Creates a new changelog object.
$c->set_options(%opts)
Change the value of some options. "verbose" (defaults to 1) defines whether parse
errors are displayed as warnings by default. "reportfile" is a string to use instead
of the name of the file parsed, in particular in error messages. "range" defines the
range of entries that we want to parse, the parser will stop as soon as it has parsed
enough data to satisfy $c->get_range($opts{range}).
$count = $c->parse($fh, $description)
Read the filehandle and parse a changelog in it. The data in the object is reset
before parsing new data.
Returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with success.
This method needs to be implemented by one of the specialized changelog format
subclasses.
$count = $c->load($filename)
Parse $filename contents for a changelog.
Returns the number of changelog entries that have been parsed with success.
$c->reset_parse_errors()
Can be used to delete all information about errors occurred during previous parse
runs.
$c->parse_error($file, $line_nr, $error, [$line])
Record a new parse error in $file at line $line_nr. The error message is specified
with $error and a copy of the line can be recorded in $line.
$c->get_parse_errors()
Returns all error messages from the last parse run. If called in scalar context
returns a human readable string representation. If called in list context returns an
array of arrays. Each of these arrays contains
1. a string describing the origin of the data (a filename usually). If the reportfile
configuration option was given, its value will be used instead.
2. the line number where the error occurred
3. an error description
4. the original line
$c->set_unparsed_tail($tail)
Add a string representing unparsed lines after the changelog entries. Use undef as
$tail to remove the unparsed lines currently set.
$c->get_unparsed_tail()
Return a string representing the unparsed lines after the changelog entries. Returns
undef if there's no such thing.
@{$c}
Returns all the Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects contained in this changelog in the
order in which they have been parsed.
$c->get_range($range)
Returns an array (if called in list context) or a reference to an array of
Dpkg::Changelog::Entry objects which each represent one entry of the changelog. $range
is a hash reference describing the range of entries to return. See section "RANGE
SELECTION".
$c->abort_early()
Returns true if enough data have been parsed to be able to return all entries selected
by the range set at creation (or with set_options).
$str = $c->output()
"$c"
Returns a string representation of the changelog (it's a concatenation of the string
representation of the individual changelog entries).
$c->output($fh)
Output the changelog to the given filehandle.
$c->save($filename)
Save the changelog in the given file.
$control = $c->format_range($format, $range)
Formats the changelog into Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects representing the entries
selected by the optional range specifier (see "RANGE SELECTION" for details). In
scalar context returns a Dpkg::Index object containing the selected entries, in list
context returns an array of Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects.
With format dpkg the returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog object is coalesced from the
entries in the changelog that are part of the range requested, with the fields
described below, but considering that "selected entry" means the first entry of the
selected range.
With format rfc822 each returned Dpkg::Control::Changelog objects represents one entry
in the changelog that is part of the range requested, with the fields described below,
but considering that "selected entry" means for each entry.
The different formats return undef if no entries are matched. The following fields are
contained in the object(s) returned:
Source
package name (selected entry)
Version
packages' version (selected entry)
Distribution
target distribution (selected entry)
Urgency
urgency (highest of all entries in range)
Maintainer
person that created the (selected) entry
Date
date of the (selected) entry
Timestamp
date of the (selected) entry as a timestamp in seconds since the epoch
Closes
bugs closed by the (selected) entry/entries, sorted by bug number
Changes
content of the (selected) entry/entries
RANGE SELECTION
A range selection is described by a hash reference where the allowed keys and values are
described below.
The following options take a version number as value.
since
Causes changelog information from all versions strictly later than version to be used.
until
Causes changelog information from all versions strictly earlier than version to be
used.
from
Similar to "since" but also includes the information for the specified version itself.
to Similar to "until" but also includes the information for the specified version itself.
The following options don't take version numbers as values:
all If set to a true value, all entries of the changelog are returned, this overrides all
other options.
count
Expects a signed integer as value. Returns "value" entries from the top of the
changelog if set to a positive integer, and "abs(value)" entries from the tail if set
to a negative integer.
offset
Expects a signed integer as value. Changes the starting point for "count", either
counted from the top (positive integer) or from the tail (negative integer). "offset"
has no effect if "count" wasn't given as well.
Some examples for the above options. Imagine an example changelog with entries for the
versions 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0 and 3.1.
Range Included entries
----- ----------------
since => '2.0' 3.1, 3.0, 2.2
until => '2.0' 1.3, 1.2
from => '2.0' 3.1, 3.0, 2.2, 2.1, 2.0
to => '2.0' 2.0, 1.3, 1.2
count => 2 3.1, 3.0
count => -2 1.3, 1.2
count => 3, offset => 2 2.2, 2.1, 2.0
count => 2, offset => -3 2.0, 1.3
count => -2, offset => 3 3.0, 2.2
count => -2, offset => -3 2.2, 2.1
Any combination of one option of "since" and "from" and one of "until" and "to" returns
the intersection of the two results with only one of the options specified.
CHANGES
Version 2.00 (dpkg 1.20.0)
Remove methods: $c->dpkg(), $c->rfc822().
Version 1.01 (dpkg 1.18.8)
New method: $c->format_range().
Deprecated methods: $c->dpkg(), $c->rfc822().
New field Timestamp in output formats.
Version 1.00 (dpkg 1.15.6)
Mark the module as public.