.\" dpkg manual page - deb-shlibs(5)
.\"
.\" Copyright © 1996 Michael Shields <shields@crosslink.net>
.\" Copyright © 2008 Zack Weinberg <zackw@panix.com>
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.
.TH deb\-shlibs 5 "%RELEASE_DATE%" "%VERSION%" "dpkg suite"
.ad l
.nh
.SH NAME
deb\-shlibs \- Debian shared library information file
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
.B shlibs
files map shared library names and versions
.RI ( SONAMEs )
to dependencies suitable for a package control file.  There is one
entry per line. Blank lines are \fBnot\fP allowed.  Lines beginning
with an \fB#\fP character are considered commentary, and are ignored.
All other lines must have the format
.IP
.RI [ type\fB:\fP ]
.I library
.I version
.I dependencies
.PP
The \fIlibrary\fP and \fIversion\fP fields are whitespace-delimited,
but the \fIdependencies\fP field extends to the end of the line.  The
\fItype\fP field is optional and normally not needed.
.PP
The \fIdependencies\fP field has the same syntax as the \fBDepends\fP
field in a binary control file, see \fBdeb\-control\fP(5).
.
.SH SONAME FORMATS
The SONAME formats supported are:

  \fIname\fP.so.\fIversion\fP

and

  \fIname\fP-\fIversion\fP.so

where \fIname\fP is usually prefixed by \fBlib\fP.
.SH EXAMPLES
.PP
The
.B shlibs
file for a typical library package, named
.IR libcrunch1 ,
that provides one library whose SONAME is
.IR libcrunch.so.1 ,
might read
.IP
libcrunch 1 libcrunch1 (>= 1.2-1)
.PP
The \fIdependencies\fP
must mention the most recent version of the package that added new
symbols to the library: in the above example, new symbols were added to
version 1.2 of
.IR libcrunch .
This is not the only reason the dependencies might need to be
tightened.
.
.SH SEE ALSO
.BR deb\-control (5),
.BR dpkg\-shlibdeps (1),
.BR deb\-symbols (5).