So I have worked with RPM (Redhat package manager) and it has a feature called ghost files. This type of file designates a file that is owned by the package, but is not necessarily installed through the installation process (useful for files that the program generates after it runs). More about the ghost directive in RPM can be found at the link below
http://www.rpm.org/max-rpm-snapshot/s1-rpm-inside-files-list-directives.html
So far the only way I have found to approximate the ghost behaviour in .deb packages is to touch the desired file and specify it as a config file in the debian/conffiles file. That way it is owned by the package but will not be updated every time a new version is installed.
What I am wondering is if there is a more official equivalent to this behaviour in the debian package manager, mainly looking at Ubuntu. I am using debuild
to build the packages. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Additional info:
What I need to accomplish is to allow the package manager to know what files may be created by the program when it runs. These files should not be updated when a new version is installed and should not be deleted when the package is removed. The files should only be removed during a purge of the package.