HOWTO convert package to python-central
=======================================

1) debian/control

  * source package:
    - add XS-Python-Version: header with list of python versions that package
      supports. Examples: all / >=2.3 / 2.3, 2.4 / >=2.3, <<2.6 / current
    - extend Build-Depends: header with:
        debhelper (>= 5.0.38), python-all-dev (>= 2.3.5-11), python-central (>= 0.5.6)
    - for Egg support (optional) extend Build-Depends: header with:
        python-setuptools (>= 0.6b3-1)
  * binary package:
    - add/extend headers:
        Depends: ${python:Depends}
        XB-Python-Version: ${python:Versions}
    - change Architecture: to "all" ("any" if package contains arch dep files)
    - if previous package version had python2.X-foo packages, add:
        Conflicts: python2.X-foo (<< current_version)
        Replaces: python2.X-foo (<< current_version)
    - extend Provides: header with:
      + ${python:Provides} if your package is arch "any"
      + list of pythonX.Y-foo packages that external packages still depend on [1]
  * remove python2.X-foo binary packages

2) debian/rules

  * build modules for all python versions specified in XS-Python-Version, example rules:
      PYVERS=$(shell pyversions -vr)
      build: $(PYVERS:%=build-python%)
          touch $@
      build-python%:
          python$* setup.py build
	  touch $@
      install: build $(PYVERS:%=install-python%)
      install-python%:
          python$* setup.py install --root $(CURDIR)/debian/python-foo
  * replace dh_python with dh_pycentral in binary rule
  * If the public modules can't be shared, add
      export DH_PYCENTRAL=nomove
    at the top of debian/rules
  * Egg support (optional):
    - add "--single-version-externally-managed" option to setup.py install command
    - remove python's version from Egg's dirname
    - remove *-nspkg.pth file

3) debian/{postinst,prerm}

  * remove unneeded postinst and prerm files, debhelper will generate them now

4) example packages

  http://wiki.debian.org/DebianPython/NewPolicy#head-361ba69b3cd19d9b6bab84fbac6099268ddb3366

  # package without .so files
  apt-get source pyparallel

  # package with .so files
  apt-get source python-imaging

  # package with .so files and Egg support
  apt-get source pyenchant

5) useful links:

  http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/python-policy/
  http://wiki.debian.org/DebianPython/NewPolicy


[1] remove that list as soon as external packages will depend on python-foo only