Debian Bug report logs - #398707
debconf: noninteractive frontend should display questions being asked

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: debconf: noninteractive frontend should display questions being asked

Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 09:03:45 +0100

Package: debconf
Version: 1.5.8
Severity: wishlist

Hi,

I use the noninteractive debconf frontend during rebuilds or piuparts
tests of the archive. However, sometimes, this lead to false positives,
or makes the logs harder to understand.

One example of that is bug #398630 against ltsp-client, which displays
a warning using db_input saying "this should not be installed on a
regular machine". With the noninteractive frontend, this message is not
unseen.

It would be great if the noninteractive frontend could optionnally
display questions being asked and the answer choosen to stdout.

I would like to work on fixing that ; any directions on how this should
be implemented ? different frontend ? inside noninteractive ? how should
the user decide if he wants the verbose output ?

Thank you,
-- 
| Lucas Nussbaum
| lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net   http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/ |
| jabber: lucas@nussbaum.fr             GPG: 1024D/023B3F4F |

Message #10 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

To: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Cc: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

Subject: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:06:17 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

piping "yes ''" to debconf using the teletype module is one way of
acheiving the kind of verbose noninteractivity you're looking for.

BTW, ltsp-client should be using an error message type, not a note, for its
error message. If it did, the noninteractive frontend would email the
error to the admin. I see this change has been made in fact..

-- 
see shy jo

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Message #15 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

To: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

Cc: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:28:51 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 10/01/07 at 01:06 -0500, Joey Hess wrote:
> piping "yes ''" to debconf using the teletype module is one way of
> acheiving the kind of verbose noninteractivity you're looking for.

Mmh, nice. I'll try to re-run piuparts with this, and see how it works.

Thank you.
-- 
| Lucas Nussbaum
| lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net   http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/ |
| jabber: lucas@nussbaum.fr             GPG: 1024D/023B3F4F |

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Message #20 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

To: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

Cc: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:52:17 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 15/01/07 at 08:28 +0100, Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> On 10/01/07 at 01:06 -0500, Joey Hess wrote:
> > piping "yes ''" to debconf using the teletype module is one way of
> > acheiving the kind of verbose noninteractivity you're looking for.
> 
> Mmh, nice. I'll try to re-run piuparts with this, and see how it works.

Actually, it doesn't work: the teletype frontend cannot be chosen
directly using dpkg-reconfigure -plow debconf, and the readline frontend
doesn't select the default answer when just pressing "Enter"...
-- 
| Lucas Nussbaum
| lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net   http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/ |
| jabber: lucas@nussbaum.fr             GPG: 1024D/023B3F4F |

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Message #25 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

To: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

Cc: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 09:33:27 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> Actually, it doesn't work: the teletype frontend cannot be chosen
> directly using dpkg-reconfigure -plow debconf, and the readline frontend
> doesn't select the default answer when just pressing "Enter"...

You can set DEBIAN_FRONTEND=teletype to get the teletype frontend.

-- 
see shy jo

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Message #30 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

To: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

Cc: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:25:31 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 16/01/07 at 09:33 -0500, Joey Hess wrote:
> Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> > Actually, it doesn't work: the teletype frontend cannot be chosen
> > directly using dpkg-reconfigure -plow debconf, and the readline frontend
> > doesn't select the default answer when just pressing "Enter"...
> 
> You can set DEBIAN_FRONTEND=teletype to get the teletype frontend.
 
Yes, but the main problem with readline/teletype is that just pressing
Enter (as with yes '') doesn't select the default choice. It just asks
again.

# yes '' |dpkg-reconfigure debconf
Configuring debconf
-------------------

Packages that use debconf for configuration share a common look and feel. You 
can select the type of user interface they use.

The dialog frontend is a full-screen, character based interface, while the readline frontend uses a more traditional plain text interface, and both the gnome and kde frontends are modern X interfaces, fitting the respective desktops (but may be used in any X environment). The editor frontend lets you configure things using your favorite text editor. The noninteractive frontend never asks you any questions.

  1. Dialog  2. Readline  3. GNOME  4. KDE  5. Editor  6. Noninteractive

  Interface to use: 
  Interface to use: 
  Interface to use: 
  Interface to use:

-- 
| Lucas Nussbaum
| lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net   http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/ |
| jabber: lucas@nussbaum.fr             GPG: 1024D/023B3F4F |

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Message #35 received at 398707@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

To: Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net>

Cc: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: verbose noninteractivity

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:24:08 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> Yes, but the main problem with readline/teletype is that just pressing
> Enter (as with yes '') doesn't select the default choice. It just asks
> again.

Hmm, I'd forgotten that teletype didn't provide defaults. I think that
adding them to it would be the best way to fix this, although it is
still possible to run into questions w/o any default, which would then
loop forever..

-- 
see shy jo

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From: "USPS Delivery" <marion.mcmillan@kazan-fotoservis.ru>

To: 398707@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Please recheck your delivery address (USPS parcel 33477083319)

Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017 17:20:25 +0300

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