Provide reverse-requires search in zypper

[bzeller]

Just as apt has a command called "apt-rdepends" that you can use to find all packages depending on a given package, we should have a option in zypper search (maybe reverse-requires) that allows the user to find all packages that require a given package.

For example:
zypper se --reverse-requires libqt5core5

Also we should have a switch wether to expand packages (i.e. 'FOO' as 'literally FOO' or 'everything FOO provides' in case it's a package)

[volklord]

Yes, please

[mlschroe]

If you want to match against a given package (and not a dependency), you should not use pool_whatmatchesdep but pool_whatmatchessolvable (or selection_make_matchsolvablelist if you want to match against a list of packages).

[bzeller]

If you want to match against a given package (and not a dependency), you should not use pool_whatmatchesdep but pool_whatmatchessolvable (or selection_make_matchsolvablelist if you want to match against a list of packages).

@mlschroe What the code does is look for a package to extract all its "provides:" then looks for packages that require one of the provides. Would I get the same from pool_whatmatchessolvable too?

[bzeller]

also pool_whatmatchessolvable has the comment this currently only works for installable packages

[volklord]

While at it, please add a short command like "rr" as abbreviation for reverse-requires, other commands have such short commands too. (if, se, in,..).
If it would make sense or is doable is another topic, but it helps to remember the commands. Especially for people new to zypper or those who use GUI most of time.

[jreidinger]

@linuunix rr is already used for remove repo.

[mlandres]

Apart from that, --reverse-requires is an option to search and no command.

[mlschroe]

Regarding looking at the provides and then searching for packages that match the provides: that doesn't really work with rich dependencies. If a package has Requires: A unless B, you can't do that correctly without considering the package provides as a whole.

(That's actually why pool_whatmatchessolvavble was added, because dnf also did it wrong and a bug was opened against it.)

Regarding the name: --reverse-requires is pretty horrible, what does the reverse even mean in this context? We already have --requires which is acrually --whatrequires. I'd prefer something like --requires-pkg.

Regarding this currently only works for installable packages. I think libzypp only has installable packages in the pool.

[mlandres]

Maybe we have different understanding of installable.

[mlschroe]

Installable in the libsolv sense means that the package architecture is allowed on the system and the package is not disabled (libzypp does not do this). See pool_installable() in repo.h.

[bzeller]

Regarding looking at the provides and then searching for packages that match the provides: that doesn't really work with rich dependencies. If a package has Requires: A unless B, you can't do that correctly without considering the package provides as a whole.

Ok then we should not do it the wrong way :D.

Regarding the name: --reverse-requires is pretty horrible, what does the reverse even mean in this context? We already have --requires which is acrually --whatrequires. I'd prefer something like --requires-pkg.

Naming is not fixed yet, it was just meant as a temporary switch for now. We take suggestions.

One thing missing though, zypper se has the --verbose switch which shows a list of which depenencies have matched in the search. Any chance we can get that data from libsolv or if not already possible the API can be extended to get to the information?

[darix]

imho ... use something like "zypper what-dependson" or at least have it as an alias. similar to "zypper what-provides"

[bzeller]

imho ... use something like "zypper what-dependson" or at least have it as an alias. similar to "zypper what-provides"

We decided to add switches to the normal search command, for now. Zypper already has many many commands adding new ones will just make it worse.

[brianjmurrell]

What version of opensuse/leap should this be available in?

[mlandres]

What version of opensuse/leap should this be available in?

@brianjmurrell zypper-1.14.33 (1.14.*) should go to TW and Leap15*

- Provide reverse search in zypper (fixes #214)
  This patch adds a new set of switches to zypper to support
  searching reverse dependencies for a package or a set of packages.
...
- version 1.14.33