This guide describes the steps for packaging Manuskript for Linux using dpkg. The resulting .deb package runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit Debian based GNU/Linux distributions.

This document is heavily based on the steps found in this stackoverflow.com answer. A huge thank you to Rafael Senties Martinelli for posting this simplified method of building a .deb package.

Originally I tried Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr as the base distro to build the .deb file. Unfortunately when this .deb file was installed on same distro it failed to run. Hence I am now using Debian 8 Jessie.

Install tools needed to build package.

sudo update
sudo apt install dpkg wget

These are the basics for creating a Debian package for manuskript with dpkg -b <folder>.

Note that I have modified these steps to be specific to manuskript.

In all of the steps replace the following variables with values:

AppName      manuskript
AppVersion   0.5.0
PkgNumber    1
PkgVersion   0.5.0-1
PkgSizeInKb  # find with:  du -sk manuskript-0.5.0-1

1. Create the files and folders in order to recreate the following structure:

   {PkgVersion}/
   {PkgVersion}/DEBIAN
   {PkgVersion}/DEBIAN/control
   {PkgVersion}/usr/
   {PkgVersion}/usr/bin/
   {PkgVersion}/usr/bin/{AppName}   # Invocation script
   {PkgVersion}/usr/share/
   {PkgVersion}/usr/share/applications
   {PkgVersion}/usr/share/applications/{AppName}.desktop
   {PkgVersion}/usr/share/{AppName}
   {PkgVersion}/usr/share/{AppName}/{AppName-files}   # Python code
   

   Now the code to do this:

   mkdir dist
   cd dist
   mkdir -p manuskript-0.5.0-1/DEBIAN
   mkdir -p manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/bin
   mkdir -p manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/share/applications
   

2. Add the python source code

   pushd manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/share
   wget https://github.com/olivierkes/manuskript/archive/0.5.0.tar.gz
   tar -xvf 0.5.0.tar.gz
   rm 0.5.0.tar.gz
   mv manuskript-0.5.0 manuskript
   popd
   

3. Add the invocation script

   Create manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/bin/manuskript invocation file with contents:

   ----- begin manuskript -----

   #!/usr/bin/env python3
   # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
   #
   # manuskript - invocation python script
   #
   # Copyright (C) 2017 Olivier Keshavjee
   #
   # This file is part of Manuskript.
   #
   # Manuskript is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
   # it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
   # the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
   # (at your option) any later version.
   #
   # Manuskript is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
   # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
   # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
   # GNU General Public License for more details.
   #
   # You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
   # along with Manuskript.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
   
   import os
   import sys
   
   sys.path.insert(1, '/usr/share/manuskript/')
   
   from manuskript import main
   
   main.run()
   

   ----- end manuskript -----

4. Make the invocation script permissions executable.

   chmod 0755 manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/bin/manuskript
   

5. Make the desktop graphic icon launch file.

   Create manuskript-0.5.0-1/usr/share/applications/manuskript.desktop file with contents:

   ----- begin manuskript.desktop -----

   [Desktop Entry]
   Name=Manuskript
   Comment=An open source tool for writers
   Keywords=manuskript;office;write;edit;novel;text;msk
   Exec=/usr/bin/manuskript
   Terminal=false
   Type=Application
   Icon=/usr/share/manuskript/icons/Manuskript/icon-512px.png
   Categories=Office;WordProcessor;
   

   ----- end manuskript.desktop -----

   After 0.5.0 release start using /usr/share/manuskript/icons/Manuskript/manuskript.svg

6. Make the DEBIAN control file.

   Fields taken from deb-control man page.

   Create manuskript-0.5.0-1/DEBIAN/control file with contents:

   ----- begin control -----

   Package: manuskript
   Version: 0.5.0-1
   Maintainer: Curtis Gedak <[email protected]>
   Description: Manuskript open source tool for writers.
    Manuskript is an open source tool for writers.  It
    provides a rich environment to help writers create
    their first draft and then further refine and edit
    their masterpiece.
   Section: office, text
   Priority: optional
   Installed-Size: {PkgSizeInKb}
   Architecture: all
   Origin: Debian 8 Jessie
   Bugs: https://github.com/olivierkes/manuskript/issues
   Homepage: https://github.com/olivierkes/manuskript/
   Source: https://github.com/olivierkes/manuskript/archive/0.5.0.tar.gz
   Depends: python3, python3-pyqt5, python3-pyqt5.qtwebkit, libqt5svg5, python3-lxml, zlib1g, python3-enchant, python3-markdown, pandoc
   Suggests: texlive-latex-recommended
   

   ----- end control -----

   Remember to fill in {PkgSizeInKb}!
   Use command: du -sk manuskript-0.5.0-1

   NOTE: Build on Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr would fail to run when the .deb package was installed. Now using Debian 8 Jessie.

7. Change all the folders and files ownership to root.

   sudo chown root:root -R manuskript-0.5.0-1
   

8. Create the .deb package.

   dpkg -b manuskript-0.5.0-1
   

   This should create a manuskript-0.5.0-1.deb file.

Install .deb package with:

sudo apt update                       # Ensure repository is up-to-date
sudo dpkg -i manuskript-0.5.0-1.deb   # Install package without dependencies
sudo apt install -f                   # Install missing dependencies

And try running manuskript.

Other useful commands:

• List installed manuskript package with dpkg -l | grep -i manuskript
• Remove manuskript package with sudo apt purge manuskript or sudo dpkg --purge manuskript

• Standard way to create debian packages for distributing Python programs?