NAME

       confmodule - communicate with Debian configuration system FrontEnd.

SYNOPSIS

         #!/bin/sh -e
         . /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
         db_version 2.0
         db_capb 'backup'
         CAPB=$RET
         db_input 'foo/bar' || true
         db_go || true

DESCRIPTION

       This  is a library of shell functions that eases communication with Debian's configuration
       management system. It can communicate with a FrontEnd via the debconf protocol. The design
       is  that  each  command in the protocol is represented by one function in this module. The
       functionname is the same as the command, except it is prefixed with "db_"  and  is  lower-
       case.  Call  the  function  and pass in any parameters you want to follow the command. Any
       textual return code from the FrontEnd will be returned to you in the $RET variable,  while
       the  numeric return code from the FrontEnd will be returned as a return code (and so those
       return codes must be captured or ignored).

NOTES

       Once this library is loaded, any text you later output will go to standard  error,  rather
       than  standard  output.  This  is  a  good thing in general, because text sent to standard
       output is interpreted by the FrontEnd as commands. If  you  do  want  to  send  a  command
       directly to the FrontEnd, you must output it to file descriptor 3, like this:
         echo GET foo/bar >&3

       The  library  checks  to  make sure it is actually speaking to a FrontEnd by examining the
       DEBIAN_HAS_FRONTEND variable. If it is set, a FrontEnd is assumed to be running.  If  not,
       the  library  turns  into  one,  and  runs  a  copy  of the script that loaded the library
       connected to it. This means that if you source this library, you should do so very near to
       the  top of your script, because everything before the sourcing of the library may well be
       run again.

SEE ALSO

       debconf-devel(7), dpkg-preconfigure(8), dpkg-reconfigure(8), debconf_specification in  the
       debian-policy package

AUTHOR

       Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

                                                                                    CONFMODULE(3)