Create debian package that installs another debian package (not from repository)

Question

I would like to know if it is possible to have a debian package that installs another package as dependency which is not available from debian/ubuntu repositories.

So lets say I have a package A.deb which depends on B.deb but B.deb is not available in any repository. Both A.deb and B.deb are available only on local hard disk. Is there a way to install A.deb (for example with apt install ./A.deb) such that it will automatically also install B.deb?

Answer 1

Create a local tivial Repository. Place both A.deb and B.deb inside it. * Create a folder Repo. * Copy all .deb files inside it. * Now create Packages index file.

$ dpkg-scanpackages Repo > Repo/Packages
$ gzip -c Repo/Package > Repo/Packages.gz

• Create entry for the Repo in sources.list.

  $ mkdir /etc/apt/sources.list.d
  
  $ touch /etc/apt/sources.list.d/Repo.list
  
  $ echo "deb [trusted=yes] file:/Repo /" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/Repo.list
  

If this shows missing InRelease file or Release.gpg file use apt-get.

Now apt will search for missing dependencies in your Personal Repo also. And if A.deb depends on B.deb it will install it.

If you want to create a package to download and install various packages from different locations. May be you can use Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm scripts.

7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?

These files are executable scripts which are automatically run before or after a package is installed or removed. Along with a file named control, all of these files are part of the "control" section of a Debian archive file.

https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-pkg_basics.en.html