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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><title>Search term reference</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="aptitude.css" /><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets Vsnapshot" /><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="aptitude user's manual" /><link rel="up" href="ch02s04.html" title="Search patterns" /><link rel="prev" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets" /><link rel="next" href="ch02s05.html" title="Customizing aptitude" /><link rel="preface" href="pr01.html" title="Introduction" /><link rel="chapter" href="ch01.html" title="Chapter 1. Getting started" /><link rel="chapter" href="ch02.html" title="Chapter 2. aptitude reference guide" /><link rel="chapter" href="ch03.html" title="Chapter 3. aptitude frequently asked questions" /><link rel="chapter" href="ch04.html" title="Chapter 4. Credits" /><link rel="reference" href="rn01.html" title="Command-line reference" /><link rel="refentry" href="rn01re01.html" title="aptitude" /><link rel="refentry" href="rn01re02.html" title="aptitude-create-state-bundle" /><link rel="refentry" href="rn01re03.html" title="aptitude-run-state-bundle" /></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Search term reference</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch02s04s04.html"><img src="images/prev.gif" alt="Prev" /></a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Search patterns</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch02s05.html"><img src="images/next.gif" alt="Next" /></a></td></tr></table><hr /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="secSearchTermReference"></a>Search term reference</h3></div></div></div><p>
<a class="xref" href="ch02s04s05.html#tableSearchTermQuickGuide" title="Table 2.3. Quick guide to search terms">Table 2.3, “Quick guide to search terms”</a> provides a brief
summary of all the search terms provided by <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span>. A
full description of each term can be found <a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermReferenceList">below</a>.
</p><div class="table"><a id="tableSearchTermQuickGuide"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 2.3. Quick guide to search terms</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table class="table" summary="Quick guide to search terms" border="1"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Long form</th><th>Short form</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEqual">?=</a></code><em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em></code>
</td><td> </td><td>
Select the package bound to
<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>; see <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNot">?not</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">!<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select any package that does not match
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAction">?action</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em>)</code>
</td><td>~a<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em></td><td>
Select packages that have been marked for the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em> (e.g.,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">install</code></span>”</span> or
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">upgrade</code></span>”</span>).
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAllVersions">?all-versions</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>
</td><td> </td><td>
Select packages whose versions all match
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAnd">?and</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code>
</td><td><em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em></td><td>
Select any package that matches both
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> and
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAnyVersion">?any-version</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages for which at least one version
matches <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchArchitecture">?architecture</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>architecture</code></em>)</code>
</td><td>~r<em class="replaceable"><code>architecture</code></em></td><td>
Select packages for the given architecture (such as
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">amd64</code></span>”</span>, or
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">all</code></span>”</span>). Special values:
<code class="literal">native</code> and <code class="literal">foreign</code>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchArchive">?archive</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>archive</code></em>)</code>
</td><td>
<code class="literal">~A<em class="replaceable"><code>archive</code></em></code>
</td><td>
Select packages from the given archive (such as
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">unstable</code></span>”</span>).
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAutomatic">?automatic</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~M</code></td><td>
Select packages that were automatically installed.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBind">?bind</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td>
<code class="literal">?<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>:<em class="replaceable"><code>term-name</code></em>[<span class="optional">(<em class="replaceable"><code>args</code></em>)</span>]</code>
</td><td>
Selects anything if
<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em> matches
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>; see <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBroken">?broken</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~b</code></td><td>
Select packages that have a broken dependency.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenType">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~B<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></td><td>
Select package that have a broken dependency of the
given <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenTypeTerm">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~DB[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that have a broken dependency of the
given <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchReverseBrokenDep">?broken-reverse-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~RB<code class="option"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</code><em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that a package matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> declares a broken
dependency of type <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchConflicts">?conflicts</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>
</td><td><code class="literal">~C<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that conflict with a package
matching <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchConfigFiles">?config-files</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~c</code></td><td>
Select packages that were removed but not purged.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~D[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Match packages that declare a dependency of type
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> on a package
matching <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDescription">?description</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~d<em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages whose description matches
<em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEssential">?essential</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~E</code></td><td>
Select essential packages, those with
<code class="literal">Essential: yes</code> in their control
files.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchExactName">?exact-name</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages named
<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFalse">?false</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~F</code></td><td>
Select no packages.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> <em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>: <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages that match
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> with
<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em> bound to the
package being matched; see <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchGarbage">?garbage</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~g</code></td><td>
Select packages that are not required by any manually
installed package.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchInstalled">?installed</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~i</code></td><td>Select installed packages.</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMaintainer">?maintainer</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~m<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages maintained by
<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMultiArch">?multiarch</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>multiarch</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages with a multi-arch capability of
<em class="replaceable"><code>multiarch</code></em> (that is, either
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">foreign</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">same</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">allowed</code></span>”</span>, or
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">none</code></span>”</span>).
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNarrow">?narrow</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~S <em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages for which a single version matches
both <em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em> and
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~n<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></code>, <code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages with the given <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNew">?new</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~N</code></td><td>
Select new packages.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchObsolete">?obsolete</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~o</code></td><td>
Match installed packages that cannot be downloaded.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchOr">?or</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> | <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that match
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>,
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>, or both.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchOrigin">?origin</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~O<em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages with the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchProvides">?provides</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~P<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that provide a package matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchPriority">?priority</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~p<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages with the given <em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchReverseDep">?reverse-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~R[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that are the targets of a dependency
of type <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> declared
by a package matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchReverseBrokenDep">?reverse-broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~RB<code class="option"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</code><em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that are the targets of a broken
dependency of type
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> declared by a
package matching <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchSection">?section</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~s<em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages in the given <em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchSourcePackage">?source-package</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~e<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages whose source package name matches
the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchSourceVersion">?source-version</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages whose source version matches the
regular expression <em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTag">?tag</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~G<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that have the given debtags
<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTerm">?term</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Full-text search for packages that contain the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermPrefix">?term-prefix</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>)</code></td><td> </td><td>
Full-text search for packages that contain a keyword
that begins with the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTrue">?true</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~T</code></td><td>
Select all packages.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTask">?task</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~t<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages that are in the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchUpgradable">?upgradable</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~U</code></td><td>
Select packages that are installed and can be
upgraded.
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchUserTag">?user-tag</a></code></code></td><td> </td><td>
Select packages that are marked with a user-tag
matching the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>user-tag</code></em>.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermVersion">?version</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~V<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em></code></td><td>
Select packages whose version matches
<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em> (special values:
<code class="literal">CURRENT</code>,
<code class="literal">CANDIDATE</code>, and
<code class="literal">TARGET</code>).
</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchVirtual">?virtual</a></code></code></td><td><code class="literal">~v</code></td><td>
Select virtual packages.
</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchWiden">?widen</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></td><td><code class="literal">~W<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></td><td>
Select versions for which
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> matches any version
of the corresponding package, discarding local
version restrictions.
</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><div class="variablelist"><a id="searchTermReferenceList"></a><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term"><em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose names match the regular
expression <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>. This is the
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">default</span>”</span> search mode and is used for patterns that
don't start with <code class="literal">~</code>.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
To match packages whose names contain several
different substrings, use the <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code> term (described
below); for instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>(apti)<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>(tude)</code></span>”</span>
will match any package whose name contains
<span class="emphasis"><em>both</em></span>
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">apti</code></span>”</span> and
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">tude</code></span>”</span>.
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><a id="searchEqual"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?=<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages that correspond to the value of
<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>, which must be bound
by an enclosing <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code>. For instance, <code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> x:
<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>( <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?recommends</a></code>( ?=x ) )</code> will match any
package <em class="replaceable"><code>x</code></em> that depends on a
package which recommends <em class="replaceable"><code>x</code></em>.
</p><p>
For instance, the following search expression matches
packages that conflict with themselves:
</p><div class="example"><a id="exampleSearchEqual"></a><p class="title"><strong>Example 2.2.
Use of the <code class="literal">?=</code> term.
</strong></p><div class="example-contents"><p>
<code class="literal">
<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> x: <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchConflicts">?conflicts</a></code>(?=x)
</code>
</p></div></div><br class="example-break" /><p>
See <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a> for more
information.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchNot"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?not(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">!<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which do <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> match
the pattern <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. For
instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?not(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBroken">?broken</a></code>)</code></span>”</span>
selects packages that are not <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">broken</span>”</span>.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
To include a <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">!</span>”</span> in a search string, it
must be <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">escaped</span>”</span> by placing a tilde
(<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">~</code></span>”</span>) in front of it;
otherwise, <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span> will consider it to be part of a
<code class="literal">?not</code> term. For instance, to select
packages whose description contains
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">extra!</code></span>”</span>, use
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDescription">?description</a></code>(extra~!)</code></span>”</span>.
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><a id="searchAnd"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?and(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages that match both
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> and
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchOr"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?or(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> | <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages that match either
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em> or
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
To use the character <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">|</span>”</span> in a regular expression, it
must be <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">escaped</span>”</span> to prevent <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span> from creating
an OR term from it: <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">~|</code></span>”</span>.
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="literal">(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">opengl (perl|python)</code></span>”</span>
matches any package whose name contains
<code class="literal">opengl</code>, and also contains either
<code class="literal">perl</code> or <code class="literal">python</code>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchAction"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?action(<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~a<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages upon which the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em> is going to be
performed. <em class="replaceable"><code>action</code></em> can be
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">install</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">upgrade</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">downgrade</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">remove</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">purge</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">hold</code></span>”</span> (tests whether a
package has been placed on hold), or
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">keep</code></span>”</span> (tests whether a
package will be unchanged).
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
Note that this only tests whether an action is actually
queued up to be performed on a package, not whether it
<span class="emphasis"><em>could</em></span> be performed. Thus, for
instance, <code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAction">?action</a></code>(upgrade)</code> matches
exactly those packages that you have already decided to
upgrade, not packages which <span class="emphasis"><em>could</em></span>
be upgraded in the future (for that, use
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchUpgradable">?upgradable</a></code></code>).
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><a id="searchAllVersions"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?all-versions(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches any package whose versions all match the given
expression. Each version of a package will be
separately tested against
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>, and the package will
match if all of its versions match. Packages without
versions, such as virtual packages, will always be
matched by this search term.
</p><p>
This term may not be used in a context in which the
versions to match against have already been narrowed,
such as within <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code> or <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNarrow">?narrow</a></code>. However, it may
always be used within <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchWiden">?widen</a></code>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchAnyVersion"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?any-version(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches a package if any one of its versions matches the
enclosed pattern. This is the dual to <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchAllVersions">?all-versions</a></code>.
</p><p>
This term may not be used in a context in which the
versions to match against have already been narrowed,
such as within <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code> or <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNarrow">?narrow</a></code>. However, it may
always be used within <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchWiden">?widen</a></code>.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
This term is closely related to <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNarrow">?narrow</a></code>.
In fact,
<code class="literal">?any-version(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code> is exactly
the same as
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchNarrow">?narrow</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern1</code></em>,
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern2</code></em>)</code>.
</p></td></tr></table></div><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
To be precise, as with any other pattern, it is not packages but
versions of the packages which are matched. For
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">aptitude search</code></span>”</span> and other uses
it does not make much difference, but <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">aptitude
versions</code></span>”</span> will only show the versions that
match, not all versions of the package for which any version
matches. For that, use an enclosing <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchWiden">?widen</a></code>.
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><a id="searchArchitecture"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?architecture(<em class="replaceable"><code>architecture-spec</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~r<em class="replaceable"><code>architecture-spec</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches package versions for the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>architecture-spec</code></em>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?architecture(amd64)</code></span>”</span> matches
<code class="literal">amd64</code> packages, while
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?architecture(all)</code></span>”</span> matches
arch-independent packages.
</p><p>
It also accepts the special values <code class="literal">native</code> and
<code class="literal">foreign</code>, and architecture wildcards
(e.g. <code class="literal">linux-any</code> or
<code class="literal">any-amd64</code>), as specified in Policy (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">11.1
Architecture specification strings</span>”</span>).
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchArchive"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?archive(<em class="replaceable"><code>archive</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~A<em class="replaceable"><code>archive</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches package versions which are available from an
archive that matches the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>archive</code></em>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?archive(testing)</code></span>”</span>
matches any package available from the
<code class="literal">testing</code> archive.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchAutomatic"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?automatic</code>, <code class="literal">~M</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which were automatically installed.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchBind"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?bind(<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>,
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>,
<code class="literal">?<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>:<em class="replaceable"><code>term-name</code></em>[<span class="optional">(<em class="replaceable"><code>args</code></em>)</span>]</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches any package or version if the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> matches the package or
version bound to <em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>,
which must be defined in an enclosing <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code>.
</p><div class="example"><a id="exampleSearchBind"></a><p class="title"><strong>Example 2.3. Use of the <code class="literal">?bind</code> term</strong></p><div class="example-contents"><p>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> x: <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> z: ?bind(x, <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEqual">?=</a></code>z))))</code>
</p><p>
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> x: <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchFor">?for</a></code> z: ?x:<a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">depends</a>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEqual">?=</a></code>z)))</code>
</p></div></div><br class="example-break" /><p>
The two search patterns in the above example both match
any package <code class="literal">x</code> such that
<code class="literal">x</code> depends on a package
<code class="literal">y</code> which in turn depends on a package
<code class="literal">z</code> such that <code class="literal">x</code> also
depends directly on <code class="literal">z</code>. The first
pattern uses <code class="literal">?bind</code> directly, while
the second one uses an equivalent shorthand syntax.
</p><p>
See <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a> for more
information.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchBroken"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?broken</code>, <code class="literal">~b</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages that are <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">broken</span>”</span>: they have an
unfulfilled dependency, predependency, breaks, or conflict.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchBrokenType"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code>, <code class="literal">~B<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which have an unfulfilled (<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">broken</span>”</span>)
dependency of the given <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>.
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> can be
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">depends</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">predepends</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">recommends</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">suggests</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">breaks</code></span>”</span>,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">conflicts</code></span>”</span>, or
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">replaces</code></span>”</span>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchBrokenTypeTerm"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~DB[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages with an unsatisfied dependency of type
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> on a package matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> may be any one of the
dependency types listed in <a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenType">the documentation of
<code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></a>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchConflicts"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?conflicts(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~C<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which conflict with a package matching
the given <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. For
instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?conflicts(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMaintainer">?maintainer</a></code>(dburrows@debian.org))</code></span>”</span>
matches any package which conflicts with a package I
maintain.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchConfigFiles"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?config-files</code>, <code class="literal">~c</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which have been removed, but whose
configuration files remain on the system (ie, they were
removed but not purged).
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchDep"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~D[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> may be any one of the
dependency types given in <a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenType">the documentation of
<code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></a>,
as well as <code class="literal">provides</code>: for instance,
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>(libpng3)</code> will match any
package that depends on <code class="literal">libpng3</code>. If
the short form (<code class="literal">~D</code>) is used and
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> is not present, it
defaults to <code class="literal">depends</code>.
</p><p>
If <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> is
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">provides</code></span>”</span>, matches
packages that provide a package matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> (the equivalent of
<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchProvides">?provides</a></code>). Otherwise, matches packages which declare
a dependency of type <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>
upon a package version which matches
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchDescription"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?description(<em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~d<em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose description matches the regular
expression <em class="replaceable"><code>description</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchEssential"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?essential</code>, <code class="literal">~E</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches Essential packages.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchExactName"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?exact-name(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages named <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>.
This is similar to <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>, but the name must match
exactly. For instance, the following pattern will match
only the package <code class="systemitem">apt</code>; with
<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>, it would also match
<code class="systemitem">aptitude</code>,
<code class="systemitem">uvccapture</code>, etc.
</p><div class="example"><a id="idSearchExactName"></a><p class="title"><strong>Example 2.4. Use of the <code class="literal">?exact-name</code> term</strong></p><div class="example-contents"><p>
<code class="literal">?exact-name(apt)</code>
</p></div></div><br class="example-break" /></dd><dt><a id="searchFalse"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?false</code>, <code class="literal">~F</code></span></dt><dd><p>
This term does not match any package.
<a href="#ftn.idm3897" class="footnote" id="idm3897"><sup class="footnote">[18]</sup></a>
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchFor"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?for <em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>: <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>, but the given
<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em> may be used inside
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> to refer to the package
or package version this term to.
</p><p>
You can use <em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em> in two
ways. To apply a <code class="literal">?</code>-style term to
the variable, write
<code class="literal">?<em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>:<em class="replaceable"><code>term-name</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>args</code></em>)</code>;
for instance, <code class="literal">?x:<a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">depends</a>(apt)</code>. In
addition, the term
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEqual">?=</a></code><em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em></code>
will select any package or version that matches the
value of the given <em class="replaceable"><code>variable</code></em>.
</p><p>
For instance, the following term will match any package
<code class="literal">x</code> that both depends and recommends a
second package <code class="literal">y</code>.
</p><div class="example"><a id="exampleSearchFor"></a><p class="title"><strong>Example 2.5. Use of the <code class="literal">?for</code> term</strong></p><div class="example-contents"><p>
<code class="literal">
?for x: <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>( ?for y: ?x:<a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">recommends</a>( <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchEqual">?=</a></code>y ) )
</code>
</p></div></div><br class="example-break" /><p>
See <a class="xref" href="ch02s04s04.html" title="Explicit search targets">the section called “Explicit search targets”</a> for more
information.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchGarbage"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?garbage</code>, <code class="literal">~g</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which are not installed, or which were
automatically installed and are not depended upon by any
installed package.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchInstalled"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?installed</code>, <code class="literal">~i</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches package versions which are currently installed.
</p><p>
Since all versions are tested by default, this normally
matches packages which are currently installed.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchMaintainer"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?maintainer(<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~m<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose Maintainer field matches the
regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>maintainer</code></em>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMaintainer">?maintainer</a></code>(joeyh)</code></span>”</span>
will find all packages maintained by Joey Hess.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchMultiArch"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?multiarch(<em class="replaceable"><code>multiarch</code></em>)</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages with the multi-arch capability
specified by <em class="replaceable"><code>multiarch</code></em>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMultiArch">?multiarch</a></code>(foreign)</code></span>”</span>
will find all packages which can satisfy dependencies of
packages for another architecture.
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchMultiArch">?multiarch</a></code>(none)</code></span>”</span>
will select packages with no multi-arch capability.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchNarrow"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?narrow(<em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em>, <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~S <em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em> <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">narrows</span>”</span> the search to package
versions matching <em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em>. In
particular, it matches any package version which matches
both <em class="replaceable"><code>filter</code></em> and
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. The string value of
the match is the string value of
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTermName"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?name(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~n<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose name matches the regular
expression <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>. For
instance, most of the packages that match
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTermName">?name</a></code>(^lib)</code></span>”</span> are
libraries of one sort or another.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchNew"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?new</code>, <code class="literal">~N</code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages which are <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">new</span>”</span>: that is,
they have been added to the archive since the last time
the list of packages was cleared using <span class="guimenu">Actions</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Forget new packages</span> (<span class="shortcut"><strong><span class="keycap"><strong>f</strong></span></strong></span>)
or the command-line action <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="rn01re01.html#cmdlineForgetNew">forget-new</a></code>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchObsolete"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?obsolete</code>, <code class="literal">~o</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term matches any installed package which is not
available in any version from any archive. These
packages appear as <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Obsolete or Locally
Installed</span>”</span> in the visual interface.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchOrigin"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?origin(<em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~O<em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches package versions whose origin matches the
regular expression <em class="replaceable"><code>origin</code></em>.
For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">!?origin(debian)</code></span>”</span> will
find any unofficial packages on your system (packages
not from the Debian archive).
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchProvides"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?provides(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~P<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches package versions which provide a package that
matches the <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. For
instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?provides(mail-transport-agent)</code></span>”</span>
will match all the packages that provide
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">mail-transport-agent</code></span>”</span>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchPriority"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?priority(<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~p<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose priority is
<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em>;
<em class="replaceable"><code>priority</code></em> must be
<code class="literal">extra</code>, <code class="literal">important</code>,
<code class="literal">optional</code>,
<code class="literal">required</code>, or
<code class="literal">standard</code>. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?priority(required)</code></span>”</span>
matches packages whose priority is
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">required</code></span>”</span>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchReverseDep"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?reverse-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~R[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> may be either
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">provides</code></span>”</span> or one of the
dependency types given in <a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenType">the documentation of
<code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></a>.
If <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> is not present, it
defaults to <code class="literal">depends</code>.
</p><p>
If <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> is
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">provides</code></span>”</span>, matches
packages whose name is provided by a package version
matching <em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>. Otherwise,
matches packages which a package version matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> declares a dependency of
type <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> upon.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchReverseBrokenDep"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?reverse-broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">?broken-reverse-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~RB[<span class="optional"><em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em>:</span>]<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> may be either
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">provides</code></span>”</span> or one of the
dependency types given in <a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchBrokenType">the documentation of
<code class="literal">?broken-<em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em></code></a>.
If <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> is not present, it
defaults to <code class="literal">depends</code>.
</p><p>
Matches packages which a package version matching
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> declares an unsatisfied
dependency of type <em class="replaceable"><code>depType</code></em> upon.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchSection"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?section(<em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~s<em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose section matches the regular
expression <em class="replaceable"><code>section</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchSourcePackage"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?source-package(<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~e<em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose source package name matches the
regular expression <em class="replaceable"><code>name</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchSourceVersion"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?source-version(<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>)</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose source version matches the
regular expression <em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTag"></a><span class="term"><code class="literal">?tag(<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~G<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em></code></span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages whose Tag field matches the regular
expression <em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>. For
instance, the pattern
<code class="literal">?tag(game::strategy)</code> would match
strategy games.
</p><p>
For more information on tags and debtags, see <a class="ulink" href="http://debtags.alioth.debian.org" target="_top">http://debtags.alioth.debian.org</a>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTask"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?task(<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~t<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches packages that appear in a task whose name
matches the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>task</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTerm"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?term(<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>)</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term performs a full-text search for
<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em> in the apt package
cache. When used with <span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">aptitude
search</code></span>”</span>, <a class="link" href="ch02s01s02.html#menuSearchLimit"><span class="guimenu">Search</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Limit Display</span> (<span class="shortcut"><strong><span class="keycap"><strong>l</strong></span></strong></span>)</a> in the
curses front-end, or typed into a package search box in
the GTK+ front-end, this term will allow <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span> to
accelerate the search using a Xapian index.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTermPrefix"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?term-prefix(<em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>)</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term performs a full-text search for any keyword
beginning with <em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em> in the
apt package cache. When used with
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">aptitude search</code></span>”</span>, <a class="link" href="ch02s01s02.html#menuSearchLimit"><span class="guimenu">Search</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Limit Display</span> (<span class="shortcut"><strong><span class="keycap"><strong>l</strong></span></strong></span>)</a> in the
curses front-end, or typed into a package search box in
the GTK+ front-end, this term will allow <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span> to
accelerate the search using a Xapian index.
</p><p>
This is similar to <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTerm">?term</a></code>, but matches extensions of
the <em class="replaceable"><code>keyword</code></em>. For instance,
the following search pattern will match any package
indexed under the keywords <code class="literal">hour</code>,
<code class="literal">hourglass</code>, <code class="literal">hourly</code>,
and so on:
</p><div class="example"><a id="exampleTermPrefix"></a><p class="title"><strong>Example 2.6. Use of the <code class="literal">?term-prefix</code> term</strong></p><div class="example-contents"><p>
<code class="literal">
?term-prefix(hour)
</code>
</p></div></div><br class="example-break" /></dd><dt><a id="searchTrue"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?true</code>, <code class="literal">~T</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term matches any package. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchInstalled">?installed</a></code><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchProvides">?provides</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTrue">?true</a></code>)</code></span>”</span>
matches installed packages which provide any package.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchUpgradable"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?upgradable</code>, <code class="literal">~U</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term matches any installed package which can be
upgraded.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><table border="0" summary="Note"><tr><td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png" /></td><th align="left">Note</th></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
Note that this only tests whether there are upgrades available
for a package, not whether an upgrade <span class="emphasis"><em>could</em></span>
be performed (with actions such as
<code class="literal">safe-upgrade</code> or
<code class="literal">full-upgrade</code>).
</p><p>
For instance, there can be upgrades available for several
packages, but maybe the upgraded versions of a subset conflict
with each other, so they cannot be co-installed or not all of
them upgraded at the same time.
</p></td></tr></table></div></dd><dt><a id="searchUserTag"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?user-tag(<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>)</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
This term matches any package that is marked with a
user-tag matching the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>tag</code></em>.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchTermVersion"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?version(<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~V<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches any package version whose version number matches
the regular expression
<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em>, with the exceptions
noted below. For instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?version(debian)</code></span>”</span>
matches packages whose version contains
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">debian</code></span>”</span>.
</p><p>
The following values of
<em class="replaceable"><code>version</code></em> are treated
specially. To search for version numbers containing
these values, preface the value with a backslash; for
instance, to find packages whose version number contains
<code class="literal">CURRENT</code>, search for
<code class="literal">\CURRENT</code>.
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
<code class="literal">CURRENT</code> matches the currently
installed version of a package, if any.
</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
<code class="literal">CANDIDATE</code> matches the version,
if any, of the package that will be installed if
you press <span class="keycap"><strong>+</strong></span> on the package or run
<code class="literal">aptitude install</code> on it.
</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
<code class="literal">TARGET</code> matches the version of a
package that is currently targeted for
installation, if any.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchVirtual"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?virtual</code>, <code class="literal">~v</code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Matches any package which is purely virtual: that is, its name is
provided by a package, but no package of that name exists. For
instance,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">?virtual<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchReverseDep">?reverse-provides</a></code>(<code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchInstalled">?installed</a></code>)</code></span>”</span>
matches virtual packages which are provided by any installed
package.
</p></dd><dt><a id="searchWiden"></a><span class="term">
<code class="literal">?widen(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>, <code class="literal">~W<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em></code>
</span></dt><dd><p>
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Widens</span>”</span> the match: if the versions to
match against have been limited by an enclosing term
(such as <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchDep">?depends</a></code>), these limits are dropped. Thus,
<code class="literal"><code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchWiden">?widen</a></code>(<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em>)</code>
matches a package version if
<em class="replaceable"><code>pattern</code></em> matches
<span class="emphasis"><em>any</em></span> version of that package.
</p></dd></dl></div><div class="footnotes"><br /><hr style="width:100; text-align:left;margin-left: 0" /><div id="ftn.idm3897" class="footnote"><p><a href="#idm3897" class="para"><sup class="para">[18] </sup></a>
This is provided largely for symmetry with <code class="literal"><a class="link" href="ch02s04s05.html#searchTrue">?true</a></code>.
</p></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch02s04s04.html"><img src="images/prev.gif" alt="Prev" /></a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="ch02s04.html"><img src="images/up.gif" alt="Up" /></a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch02s05.html"><img src="images/next.gif" alt="Next" /></a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Explicit search targets </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html"><img src="images/home.gif" alt="Home" /></a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Customizing <span class="command"><strong>aptitude</strong></span></td></tr></table></div></body></html>