dh_installmenu - Linux

Overview

dh_installmenu is a tool used during Debian package building to generate a menu file for selecting packages during installation. It’s especially useful when building packages with multiple binary options or variants.

Syntax

dh_installmenu [options] [debhelper options] [package-name]

Options/Flags

| Option | Description | Default |
|—|—|—|
| -a | Generate an apt preferences file | No |
| -A | Generate a PAM module | No |
| -C | Generate a PAM module for a configuration file | No |
| -D | Generate a desktop file | No |
| -I | Generate an init script | No |
| -m | Generate a menu file | Yes |
| -M | Generate a shared mime info file | No |
| -p | Generate a plugin script | No |
| -S | Generate a startup/shutdown script for sysvinit | No |
| -t | Generate a tool | No |
| -U | Generate an udev rule file | No |

Examples

Simple usage:

dh_installmenu

This generates a basic menu file for the current package.

Generate multiple files:

dh_installmenu -a -D -I

This generates an apt preferences file, desktop file, and init script.

Common Issues

• Missing dependencies: Ensure you have the necessary tools installed, such as debhelper.
• Incorrect package name: Specify the correct package name after the command.

Integration

Combine with dh_installdeb:

dh_installdeb -- -m

Generates a menu file during the dh_installdeb process.

Use with update-menus:

dpkg-reconfigure <package-name>
update-menus

Updates the system menus after installing or reconfiguring a package with a menu file.

Related Commands

• dh_installdeb: Maintains a set of package headers and control files.
• update-menus: Updates the system menu database.
• debhelper: A suite of tools for Debian package maintainers.