| How do I use PackageKit? |

Back to the main page

# How do I use PackageKit?

If you are writing an application that wants to install packages on demand, and don't care about the low level details, there's a session helper API that you should use. It's much simpler than using PackageKit directly.

## Using the command line

The `pkcon` text-mode program allows you to interact with PackageKit on the command line. For example:

    [hughsie@laptop ~]$ pkcon get-updates
    [hughsie@hughsie-work PackageKit]$ pkcon get-updates
    security    	bluez-utils-3.35-3.fc9                  	Bluetooth utilities
    bugfix      	xterm-236-1.fc9                         	Terminal emulator for the X Window System
    bugfix      	kernel-devel-2.6.25.14-108.fc9          	Development package for building kernel modules to match the kernel
    enhancement 	kde-filesystem-4-17.fc9                 	KDE filesystem layout
    enhancement 	subversion-1.5.1-1.fc9                  	Modern Version Control System designed to replace CVS

or

    [hughsie@hughsie-work PackageKit]$ pkcon --filter=~devel search name power
    installed   	DeviceKit-power-001-0.8.20080811git.fc9 	Power Management Service
    installed   	gnome-power-manager-2.23.4-1.118.20080801svn.fc9.hughsie	GNOME Power Manager
    installed   	powerman-2.1-1.fc9                      	PowerMan - Power to the Cluster
    installed   	powertop-1.9-3.fc9                      	Power consumption monitor
    available   	gnome-power-manager-2.22.1-1.fc9        	GNOME Power Manager
    available   	kadu-powerkadu-0.6.0-3.fc9              	PowerKadu
    available   	kadu-powerkadu-0.6.0.1-1.fc9            	PowerKadu
    available   	kpowersave-0.7.3-3.fc9                  	KPowersave is the KDE frontend for powermanagement
    available   	powerman-1.0.32-5.fc9                   	PowerMan - Power to the Cluster
    available   	powermanga-0.90-3                       	Arcade 2D shoot-them-up game

The `pkmon` program allows you to monitor what PackageKit is doing on the command line and is mainly used for debugging.

The `pkgenpack` program allows you to generate Service Packs with a package and its dependencies.

## Using graphical tools:

`gnome-software` and `gnome-packagekit` provide a rich set of GTK tools for automatically updating your computer and installing software.

Apper is the name of the KDE graphical tools designed for PackageKit.

## Using libpackagekit:

The libpackagekit gobject library wraps the DBus interface in a nice glib-style API. This makes designing programs that use libpackagekit can concentrate on core functionality rather that the DBus and PackageKit internals. PkTask in libpackagekit can be used as easily as:

    GError *error = NULL;
    PkError *error_code = NULL;
    PkResults *results = NULL;
    GPtrArray *array = NULL;
    PkPackage *item;
    gchar **values = NULL;
    gchar **package_ids = NULL;
    uint i;
    PkTask *task;

    task = pk_task_new ();

    /* resolve the package name */
    values = g_new0 (gchar*, 1 + 1);
    values[0] = g_strdup ("openoffice-clipart");
    values[1] = NULL;
    results = pk_task_resolve_sync (task, PK_FILTER_ENUM_NOT_INSTALLED, values, NULL, NULL, NULL, &error);

    /* check error code */
    error_code = pk_results_get_error_code (results);
    if (error_code != NULL) {
    	g_printerr ("%s: %s, %s\n", "Resolving of packages failed",
    		    pk_error_enum_to_string (pk_error_get_code (error_code)),
    		    pk_error_get_details (error_code));
    	goto out;
    }

    /* get the packages returned */
    array = pk_results_get_package_array (results);
    package_ids = g_new0 (gchar *, array->len+1);
    for (i = 0; i < array->len; i++) {
    	item = g_ptr_array_index (array, i);
    	package_ids[i] = g_strdup (pk_package_get_id (item));
    }

    /* install the packages */
    results = pk_task_install_packages_sync (task, package_ids , NULL, NULL, NULL, &error);

    /* check error code */
    error_code = pk_results_get_error_code (results);
    if (error_code != NULL) {
    	g_printerr ("%s: %s, %s\n", _("Error installing package(s)!"),
    		pk_error_enum_to_string (pk_error_get_code (error_code)),
    		pk_error_get_details (error_code));
    	goto out;
    }

    out:
    	g_strfreev (values);
    	g_object_unref (task);
    	if (error_code != NULL)
    		g_object_unref (error_code);
    	if (array != NULL)
    		g_ptr_array_unref (array);
    	if (package_ids != NULL)
    		g_strfreev (package_ids);
    	if (results != NULL)
    		g_object_unref (results);

## Using the raw DBus API:

Using the PackageKit DBus methods and signals directly means that no glib or gobject dependency is needed, although this means you will have to manage the transaction_id multiplexing in any client program. This is not difficult, although does require more code than just using libpackagekit.

Back to the main page