Main guideline for PKGBUILD

Other packaging guidelines & tips

Common

• don't use custom variables when not needed (use ${pkgname%-git} instead). All custom variables should contain leading "_"
• quoting in arch=() license=() depends=() makedepends=() depends=() is pointless and a personal choice, except when needed: optdepends=('gst-libav: additional codecs') license=('custom:WTFPL') license=('custom:corp EULA'). But always use double quotting for "$pkgdir" and "$pkgscr"
• remember to quote variables for avoiding failures due to whitespaces in paths

pkgbase

pkgname

• just name of the package or name-git or name-bin. Do not use custom variables for naming

pkgver

• cut 'v' and other prefixes from pkgver

pkgrel

• number should be increased after any edit of PKGBUILD file

pkgdesc

• Do not add "A" at description at start, just: pkgdesc="Web user interface to manage your WireGuard setup"

arch

• if developer of package provide other versions of arches you can add them, e.g. arch=(aarch64 armv7h i686 x86_64)

url

• use pkgname for url - $pkgname, ${pkgname%-bin}, ${pkgname%-git}

license

• install not common licenses in "$pkgdir"/usr/share/licenses/$pkgname, not mandatory to install common licenses; see 'licenses' package. Use proper identifier from SPDX list. For -git -bin -whatever packages use install -Dm644 LICENSE -t "$pkgdir"/usr/share/licenses/${pkgname%-bin}/
• for MIT (or similar) license for Github sourse you could use $url/raw/main/LICENSE

groups

depends

• All depends should be writed at new string, and brackets too:

  depends=(
    gcc-libs
    glib2
    glibc
  ...
  )
  

makedepends

• Same as depends

checkdepends

• Same as depends

optdepends

• Same as depends

provides

• Use for -git and -bin packages only but not for named packages: provides=(${pkgname%-bin}) or provides=(${pkgname%-git})

conflicts

• Use for -git and -bin packages only but not for named packages: conflicts=(${pkgname%-bin}) or conflicts=(${pkgname%-git}) Not need to list all other packages, just write the main name

replaces

backup

options

Recommeneded: options=(!debug). And for Rust packages also need add !lto

install

changelog

source

• prefer git+$url over git:// for taking advantage of TLS encryption

• pkgrel is for internal use of the PKGBUILD and must not be used in source=() or as part of pkgver

• use source_$ARCH for $ARCH specific sources

• use a common source folder, SRCDEST= in /etc/makepkg.conf

• add git submodules to source=(), it is a good packaging practice and make sources re-usable, especially with a common SRCDEST

• make downloaded sources non-conflicting and re-usable, i.e.

  for Github releases use just source=($url/archive/v$pkgver/$pkgname-$pkgver.tar.gz) or source=($pkgname-$pkgver.tar.gz::$url/....) for other hostings.

  for git repository find a common ground for source name

  • for git avoid $pkgname-$pkgver::git+url/name.git (waste as redownload whole source )

  • for git avoid $pkgname::git+url/name.git when pkgname=$NAME-git (i.e. textosaurus and textosaurus-git use the same source)

  • for git avoid $pkgname::git+url/name.git when pkgname=name (pointless since source is already called 'name')

  • for ease of use when git source have uppercase name ${pkgname%-git}::git+url/Name.git

  • use source=(${pkgname%-git}::git+$url.git

noextract

validpgpkeys

Integrity

• b2sum is the preferred hash check

prepare()

• for packages -bin you can use additional hashsum check (if contributor of software provide it) in prepare function:

prepare(){
    md5sum -c $pkgname-$pkgver.md5
    #OR
    echo $(<*.md5) *.tar.gz | md5sum -c -
}

build()

• Examples

check()

package()

Example for installing files:

install -vDm755 usr/bin/${pkgname%-bin}{,-session} -t "$pkgdir"/usr/bin/