PKG_VERSION(1)
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pkg_version -- summarize installed versions of packages
pkg_version [-hv] [-l limchar] [-L limchar] [[-X] -s string] [index]
pkg_version [-t version1 version2]
pkg_version [-T pkgname pattern]
The pkg_version command is used to produce a report of non-base software
packages installed using the pkg_add(1) command.
Each package's version number is checked against one of two sources to
see if that package may require updating. If the package contains infor-
mation about its origin in the FreeBSD ports tree, and a version number
can be determined from the port's Makefile, then the version number from
the Makefile will be used to determine whether the installed package is
up-to-date or requires updating.
If no origin for a package can be found, or if the port's Makefile cannot
be located, pkg_version will search for the package in the ports collec-
tion index file (typically /usr/ports/INDEX-5). Any matching version
number(s) there will be used to determine whether the installed package
is up-to-date or requires updating.
Generally, using the version number from a port's Makefile will provide a
more accurate result, since, unlike the index file, it provides an unam-
biguous current version number, even when multiple versions of a port
exist in the ports collection. Moreover, the ports collection index file
is only updated at intervals, meaning that it may not completely reflect
the version numbers of the software contained in the ports collection.
Each package name is printed, along with a one-character status flag:
= The installed version of the package is current.
< The installed version of the package is older than the current
version.
> The installed version of the package is newer than the current
version. This situation can arise with an out-of-date index
file, or when testing new ports.
? The installed package does not appear in the index. This could
be due to an out of date index or a package taken from a PR that
has not yet been committed.
* There are multiple versions of a particular software package
listed in the index file. Examples from the FreeBSD ports col-
lection are the Tcl toolkit or the EMACS editor.
! The installed package exists in the index but for some reason,
pkg_version was unable to compare the version number of the
installed package with the corresponding entry in the index.
The pkg_version utility supports several command-line arguments:
-h Print help message.
-l Limit the output to those packages whose status flag matches the
character(s) in limchar. More than one character can be speci-
fied in limchar. Note that because some of the status flag char-
acters are also special to the shell, it is best to quote limchar
with single quotes.
-L Limit the output to those packages whose status flag doesn't
match limchar. You may specify more than one character to match
in limchar. Note that because some of the status flag characters
are also special to the shell, it is best to quote limchar with
single quotes.
-s Limit the output to those packages whose names match a given
string.
-X Interpret string as a extended regular expression.
-t Test a pair of version number strings and exit. The output con-
sists of one of the single characters = (equal), < (right-hand
number greater), or > (left-hand number greater) on standard out-
put. This flag is mostly useful for scripts or for testing.
-T Test whether pkgname is matched by pattern and set the exit code
accordingly. -T can also be used in `filter mode': When one of
the arguments is `-', standard input is used, and lines with
matching package names/patterns are echoed to standard output.
-v Enable verbose output. Verbose output includes some English-text
interpretations of the version number comparisons, as well as the
version numbers compared for each package. Non-verbose output is
probably easier for programs or scripts to parse.
index Specify the index to be used as a basis of comparison. This
index can be specified as a filename (in the local file system)
or a URL. Any URL understandable by fetch(1) can be used here.
If no index file is specified on the command line,
/usr/ports/INDEX-5 is used.
The -c option has been deprecated and is no longer supported.
fetch(1), pkg_add(1), pkg_create(1), pkg_delete(1), pkg_info(1)
/usr/ports/INDEX-5 Default index file.
The following is a typical invocation of the pkg_version command, which
checks the installed packages against the local ports index file:
% pkg_version -v
The command below generates a report against the version numbers in the
on-line ports collection:
% pkg_version http://www.FreeBSD.org/ports/INDEX-5
The following command compares two package version strings:
% pkg_version -t 1.5 1.5.1
The pkg_version utility was written by Jeremy D. Lea <reg@FreeBSD.org>,
partially based on a Perl script written by
Bruce A. Mah <bmah@FreeBSD.org>.
Nik Clayton <nik@FreeBSD.org>, Dominic Mitchell <dom@palmerharvey.co.uk>,
Mark Ovens <marko@FreeBSD.org>, Doug Barton <DougB@gorean.org>, Akinori
MUSHA <knu@FreeBSD.org>, Oliver Eikemeier <eik@FreeBSD.org>