[Python-modules-team] Bug#946899: sphinx-common: please provide a dh-sequence-sphinxdoc virtual package

[Nicolas Boulenguez]

Package: sphinx-common
Severity: wishlist

Hello.

Please let the sphinx-common binary package Provide: the
dh-sequence-sphinxdoc virtual package.

Currently, the dh_sphinxdoc(1) manual page recommendeds
  control: Build-Depends: sphinx-common
  rules  : %:
  rules  :         dh $@ --with=sphinxdoc
This forces each build machine to install all sphinx-common
dependencies before each -arch build.

This trivial change would allow
  control: Build-Depends-Indep: dh-sequence-sphinxdoc
dpkg would of course understand that
  control: Build-Depends-Indep: sphinx-common
but debhelper (>= 12) would do the equivalent of
  rules  : override_dh_installdocs-indep:
  rules  :         dh_installdocs --indep
  rules  :         dh_sphinxdoc --indep
and skip dh_sphinxdoc during -arch builds.

As far as I know, it would be sufficient to add a
  'Provide: dh-sequence-sphinxdoc'
line to the sphinx-common stanza in debian/control, and to describe
the new recommended usage in debian/dh-sphinxdoc/dh_sphinxdoc.

Thanks.