[xml/sgml-pkgs] Bug#806065: libxml2: FTBFS when built with dpkg-buildpackage -A (No such file or directory)

[Santiago Vila]

Package: src:libxml2
Version: 2.9.2+zdfsg1-4
User: sanvila at debian.org
Usertags: binary-indep
Severity: important

Dear maintainer:

I tried to build this package with "dpkg-buildpackage -A"
(i.e. only architecture-independent packages), and it failed:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
 fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep
dh binary-indep --parallel --with autoreconf,python2
   debian/rules build-indep
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
dh build-indep --parallel --with autoreconf,python2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
   dh_testroot -i -O--parallel
   dh_prep -i -O--parallel
	rm -f debian/libxml2-doc.substvars
	rm -f debian/libxml2-doc.*.debhelper
	rm -rf debian/libxml2-doc/
   dh_installdirs -i -O--parallel
	install -d debian/libxml2-doc
   debian/rules override_dh_auto_install
make[1]: Entering directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
dh_auto_install --builddirectory=builddir/main
	cd builddir/main
	make -j1 install DESTDIR=/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2\+zdfsg1/debian/tmp AM_UPDATE_INFO_DIR=no
make[2]: Entering directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1/builddir/main'
make  install-recursive
make[3]: Entering directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1/builddir/main'
Making install in include

[... snipped ...]

	doc/html \
	doc/tutorial debian/tmp/usr/share/doc/libxml2-doc
dh_auto_install --builddirectory=builddir/main/python2.7
/usr/bin/make -C builddir/main/python2.7-dbg DESTDIR=/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1/debian/tmp-dbg install-pythonLTLIBRARIES
make[2]: Entering directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
make[2]: *** builddir/main/python2.7-dbg: No such file or directory.  Stop.
make[2]: Leaving directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
debian/rules:96: recipe for target 'doinstall-python2.7-dbg' failed
make[1]: *** [doinstall-python2.7-dbg] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/libxml2-2.9.2+zdfsg1'
debian/rules:148: recipe for target 'binary-indep' failed
make: *** [binary-indep] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep gave error exit status 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry not to have a fix, as I am reporting many bugs similar to
this one, but I can give some general hints:

* If all the arch-independent packages are dummy transitional packages
released with jessie, the easy fix is to drop them now.
 
* If not, debian/rules should be modified so that the binary-indep
target works in all cases, even when binary-arch is not used (this is
what the "Architecture: all" autobuilder does). For that:
    
* If you are using debhelper, you might want to use options -a and -i
for dh_* commands so that they do not act on packages they do not
have to act.

* Also, if you are using dh, the (independently) optional targets
override_dh_foo-arch and override_dh_foo-indep (for several values
of "foo") may be useful to write a debian/rules which behaves exactly
as desired.


After checking that both "dpkg-buildpackage -A" and "dpkg-buildpackage -B"
work properly, this package will be suitable to be uploaded in
source-only form if you wish (you might want to try it).

Thanks.