apt/doc/apt-mark.8.xml

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<!ENTITY % aptverbatiment SYSTEM "apt-verbatim.ent"> %aptverbatiment;
<!ENTITY % aptvendor SYSTEM "apt-vendor.ent"> %aptvendor;
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<refentry>

 <refentryinfo>
   &apt-author.moconnor;
   &apt-author.team;
   &apt-email;
   &apt-product;
   <!-- The last update date -->
   <date>2015-09-25T00:00:00Z</date>
 </refentryinfo>
 
 <refmeta>
   <refentrytitle>apt-mark</refentrytitle>
   <manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
   <refmiscinfo class="manual">APT</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>
 
 <!-- Man page title -->
 <refnamediv>
    <refname>apt-mark</refname>
    <refpurpose>show, set and unset various settings for a package</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 &synopsis-command-apt-mark;

 <refsect1><title>Description</title>
    <para><command>apt-mark</command> can be used as a unified front-end to set
       various settings for a package, such as marking a package as being
       automatically/manually installed or changing <command>dpkg</command>
       selections such as hold, install, deinstall and purge which are respected
       e.g. by <command>apt-get dselect-upgrade</command> or <command>aptitude</command>.
   </para>
   </refsect1><refsect1><title>Automatically and Manually Installed Packages</title>
   <para>
     When you request that a package is installed, and as a result
     other packages are installed to satisfy its dependencies, the
     dependencies are marked as being automatically installed, while the
     package you installed explicitly is marked as manually installed.
     Once an automatically installed package is no longer depended on
     by any manually installed package it is considered no longer needed
     and e.g. <command>apt-get</command> or <command>aptitude</command>
     will at least suggest removing them.
   </para>
   <variablelist>
     <varlistentry><term><option>auto</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>auto</literal> is used to mark a
     package as being automatically installed, which will cause the
     package to be removed when no more manually installed packages
     depend on this package.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry><term><option>manual</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>manual</literal> is used to mark a
     package as being manually installed, which will prevent the
     package from being automatically removed if no other packages
     depend on it.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>

       <varlistentry><term><option>showauto</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>showauto</literal> is used to print a
     list of automatically installed packages with each package on a new line.
     All automatically installed packages will be listed if no package is given.
     If packages are given only those which are automatically installed will be shown.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>

       <varlistentry><term><option>showmanual</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>showmanual</literal> can be used in
     the same way as <literal>showauto</literal> except that it will print
     a list of manually installed packages instead.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>
   </variablelist>

   <refsect2><title>Options</title>
     <variablelist>
       <varlistentry>
	 <term><option>-f=&synopsis-param-filename;</option></term>
	 <term><option>--file=&synopsis-param-filename;</option></term>
	 <listitem><para>
	   Read/Write package stats from the filename given with the parameter
	   &synopsis-param-filename; instead of from the default location, which
	   is <filename>extended_status</filename> in the directory defined
	   by the Configuration Item: <literal>Dir::State</literal>.
	 </para></listitem>
       </varlistentry>
     </variablelist>
   </refsect2>

 </refsect1><refsect1><title>Prevent Changes for a Package</title>
   <variablelist>
     <varlistentry><term><option>hold</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>hold</literal> is used to mark a
     package as held back, which will prevent the package from being
     automatically installed, upgraded or removed.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry><term><option>unhold</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>unhold</literal> is used to cancel a
     previously set hold on a package to allow all actions again.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     <varlistentry><term><option>showhold</option></term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>showhold</literal> is used to print a list
     of packages on hold in the same way as for the other show commands.
       </para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>
   </variablelist>
 </refsect1><refsect1><title>Schedule Packages for Install, Remove and Purge</title>
 <para>
    Some front-ends like <command>apt-get dselect-upgrade</command> can be used to
    apply previously scheduled changes to the install state of packages. Such changes
    can be scheduled with the <option>install</option>, <option>remove</option>
    (also known as <option>deinstall</option>) and <option>purge</option> commands.
    Packages with a specific selection can be displayed with <option>showinstall</option>,
    <option>showremove</option> and <option>showpurge</option> respectively.
    More information about these so called dpkg selections can be found in &dpkg;.
 </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>Options</title>
   <variablelist>
     &apt-commonoptions;
   </variablelist>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>Files</title>
   <variablelist>
	&file-extended_states;
   </variablelist>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>See Also</title>
    <para><phrase>&apt-get;,&aptitude;,&apt-conf;</phrase></para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>Diagnostics</title>
   <para><command>apt-mark</command> returns zero on normal operation, non-zero on error.</para>
 </refsect1>

 &manbugs;
 
</refentry>