Copy directory on destination machine during .deb installation in Ubuntu 14.04, 64 bit

Question

I just want to copy directory (which contains some files) on destination machine during .deb installation at path /opt/myProjectName in Ubuntu 14.04, 64 bit.

I am successfully able to install files on destination machine during .deb installation using CMakeLists.txt file as per below.

INSTALL(FILES myShFile.sh   DESTINATION /opt/myProjectName)

How can I copy a directory (which contains some files) on destination machine at path /opt/myProjectName.

Answer 1

CMake 2.8 in Ubuntu 14.04 supports DIRECTORY signature in the install command, so you could simply write install(DIRECTORY test/ DESTINATION /opt/myProjectName/test).

CMake also has standalone Debian package generator (CPackDeb). It's very handy way to create deb packages to distribute (you don't even have a Debian host to build), but they don't at all conform to the Debian policy for packaging for the official distribution.

With the following CMakeLists.txt:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)
project(myProjectName)
install(FILES myShFile.sh DESTINATION /opt/myProjectName)
install(DIRECTORY test/ DESTINATION /opt/myProjectName/test)

set(CPACK_GENERATOR DEB)
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_MAINTAINER "you you@your.domain")
include(CPack)

You can generate myProjectName-0.1.1-Linux.deb like this.

$ touch myShFile.sh
$ mkdir test
$ touch test/myTest
$ cmake .
-- The C compiler identification is GNU 4.8.2
-- The CXX compiler identification is GNU 4.8.2
-- Check for working C compiler: /usr/bin/cc
-- Check for working C compiler: /usr/bin/cc -- works
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info - done
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++ -- works
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: /home/yaegashi/cmake

$ make package
Run CPack packaging tool...
CPack: Create package using DEB
CPack: Install projects
CPack: - Run preinstall target for: myProjectName
CPack: - Install project: myProjectName
CPack: Create package
CPack: - package: /home/yaegashi/cmake/myProjectName-0.1.1-Linux.deb generated.

$ dpkg --contents myProjectName-0.1.1-Linux.deb 
drwxrwxr-x root/root         0 2015-07-04 03:43 ./opt/
drwxrwxr-x root/root         0 2015-07-04 03:43 ./opt/myProjectName/
-rw-r--r-- root/root         0 2015-07-04 03:36 ./opt/myProjectName/myShFile.sh
drwxr-xr-x root/root         0 2015-07-04 03:43 ./opt/myProjectName/test/
-rw-r--r-- root/root         0 2015-07-04 03:36 ./opt/myProjectName/test/myTest

$ dpkg --info myProjectName-0.1.1-Linux.deb 
 new debian package, version 2.0.
 size 728 bytes: control archive=328 bytes.
     190 bytes,     9 lines      control              
     128 bytes,     2 lines      md5sums              
 Package: myprojectname
 Version: 0.1.1
 Section: devel
 Priority: optional
 Architecture: amd64
 Installed-Size: 0
 Maintainer: you <you@your.domain>
 Description: myProjectName built using CMake