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NAME

       dpkg-query - a tool to query the dpkg database

SYNOPSIS

       dpkg-query [option...] command

DESCRIPTION

       dpkg-query  is  a tool to show information about packages listed in the
       dpkg database.

COMMANDS

       -l, --list package-name-pattern...
              List packages matching given pattern. If no package-name-pattern
              is  given,  list all packages in /var/lib/dpkg/status, excluding
              the ones marked as not-installed (i.e.  those  which  have  been
              previously  purged).  Normal  shell  wildchars  are  allowed  in
              package-name-pattern. Please note  you  will  probably  have  to
              quote  package-name-pattern to prevent the shell from performing
              filename expansion. For example this will list all package names
              starting with "libc6":

                dpkg-query -l 'libc6*'

              The  first  three columns of the output show the desired action,
              the package status, and errors, in that order.

              Desired action:
                u = Unknown
                i = Install
                h = Hold
                r = Remove
                p = Purge

              Package status:
                n = Not-installed
                c = Config-files
                H = Half-installed
                U = Unpacked
                F = Half-configured
                W = Triggers-awaiting
                t = Triggers-pending
                i = Installed

              Error flags:
                <empty> = (none)
                R = Reinst-required

              An uppercase status or error letter  indicates  the  package  is
              likely  to  cause  severe  problems. Please refer to dpkg(1) for
              information about the above states and flags.

              The output format of this option is not configurable, but varies
              automatically  to  fit  the  terminal  width. It is intended for
              human readers,  and  is  not  easily  machine-readable.  See  -W
              (--show)  and  --showformat  for  a  way to configure the output
              format.

       -W, --show package-name-pattern...
              Just like the --list option this will list all packages matching
              the  given  pattern.  However the output can be customized using
              the --showformat option.  The default output  format  gives  one
              line  per  matching  package,  each  line  having  the  name and
              installed version of the package, separated by a tab.

       -s, --status package-name...
              Report status of specified package. This just displays the entry
              in the installed package status database.

       -L, --listfiles package-name...
              List files installed to your system from package-name.  However,
              note that files created by package-specific installation-scripts
              are not listed.

       -c, --control-path package-name [control-file]
              List  paths  for  control  files  installed  to your system from
              package-name.  If control-file is specified then only  list  the
              path  for  that  control  file  if  it is present. Warning: this
              command is semi-public, it should be used only as a last  resort
              solution,  and  if no other interface is available. It might get
              deprecated  later  on  if  better  interfaces  or  the   current
              architectural deficiencies have been solved.

       -S, --search filename-search-pattern...
              Search  for  a  filename  from  installed packages. All standard
              shell wildchars can be used in the pattern.  This  command  will
              not  list extra files created by maintainer scripts, nor will it
              list alternatives.

       -p, --print-avail package-name...
              Display   details    about    package-name,    as    found    in
              /var/lib/dpkg/available. Users of APT-based frontends should use
              apt-cache show package-name instead as  the  available  file  is
              only kept up-to-date when using dselect.

       -h, --help
              Show the usage message and exit.

       --version
              Show the version and exit.

OPTIONS

       --admindir=dir
              Change  the  location of the dpkg database. The default location
              is /var/lib/dpkg.

       -f, --showformat=format
              This option is used to specify the format of the  output  --show
              will  produce.  The  format  is a string that will be output for
              each package listed.

              In the format string, "\" introduces escapes:

                  \n  newline
                  \r  carriage return
                  \t  tab

              "\" before any other character suppresses any special meaning of
              the following character, which is useful for "\" and "$".

              Package  information  can  be  included  by  inserting  variable
              references    to    package    fields    using    the     syntax
              "${field[;width]}".  Fields are printed right-aligned unless the
              width is negative in which case left alignment will be used. The
              following  fields  are  recognised  but they are not necessarily
              available in the status file (only  internal  fields  or  fields
              stored in the binary package end up in it):

                  Architecture
                  Bugs
                  Conffiles (internal)
                  Config-Version (internal)
                  Conflicts
                  Breaks
                  Depends
                  Description
                  Enhances
                  Essential
                  Filename (internal, dselect related)
                  Homepage
                  Installed-Size
                  MD5sum (internal, dselect related)
                  MSDOS-Filename (internal, dselect related)
                  Maintainer
                  Origin
                  Package
                  Pre-Depends
                  Priority
                  Provides
                  Recommends
                  Replaces
                  Revision (obsolete)
                  Section
                  Size (internal, dselect related)
                  Source
                  Status (internal)
                  Suggests
                  Tag (usually not in the .deb but in APT's Packages files)
                  Triggers-Awaited (internal)
                  Triggers-Pending (internal)
                  Version

              The   default   format   string  is  "${Package}\t${Version}\n".
              Actually, all other fields found in the status file  (i.e.  user
              defined  fields) can be requested, too. They will be printed as-
              is, though, no conversion nor error checking is  done  on  them.
              To  get  the  name  of  the  dpkg  maintainer  and the installed
              version, you could run:

                dpkg-query -W -f='${Package} ${Version}\t${Maintainer}\n' dpkg

EXIT STATUS

       0      The requested query was successfully performed.

       1      Problems were encountered while  parsing  the  command  line  or
              performing  the  query, including no file or package being found
              (except for --control-path).

ENVIRONMENT

       COLUMNS
              This setting influences the  output  of  the  --list  option  by
              changing the width of its output.

AUTHOR

       Copyright (C) 2001 Wichert Akkerman

       This  is free software; see the GNU General Public Licence version 2 or
       later for copying conditions. There is NO WARRANTY.

SEE ALSO

       dpkg(1).