debconf-apt-progress

debconf-apt-progress [OPTIONS...] -- COMMAND [ARGS...]

--title <string>
    Sets the main title text displayed at the top of the debconf progress dialog. This helps inform the user about the ongoing operation.

--text <string>
    Sets the explanatory text displayed below the title in the progress dialog, providing more details about the current task.

--name <string>
    Specifies the debconf template name to use for the progress bar. This allows for custom debconf templates to be used for the progress display, if available.

--
    A mandatory separator. All arguments supplied before this separator are interpreted as options for debconf-apt-progress itself (or debconf configurations it utilizes), while all arguments supplied after it are treated as the COMMAND to be executed and its specific ARGS.

COMMAND
    The executable command (e.g., apt-get, dpkg) whose execution progress is to be monitored and displayed. This command's output is expected to conform to a format parsable by apt-progress-formatter.

ARGS...
    Any additional arguments to be passed directly to the COMMAND. These are specific to the command being run (e.g., 'install package-name' for apt-get).

debconf-apt-progress is a wrapper script designed to display a debconf-driven progress bar during lengthy apt operations, or any other command whose output can be parsed for progress.

It's primarily used by system installers, upgrade tools, and package management frontends (like tasksel or update-manager) to provide visual feedback to the user. Instead of showing raw command output, it presents a user-friendly progress dialog.

The script sets up the appropriate debconf environment (e.g., DEBIAN_FRONTEND=newt) and executes the specified COMMAND. It then pipes the command's output through apt-progress-formatter to extract progress information, which is then fed to debconf to update the progress bar in real-time.

This command is primarily an internal utility invoked by other system tools and is not generally intended for direct interactive use by end-users. Its functionality relies heavily on the debconf system being properly configured and the ability of apt-progress-formatter to accurately parse the output of the executed COMMAND. Behavior can vary depending on the active debconf frontend.

The command works by dynamically setting the DEBIAN_FRONTEND environment variable to an appropriate value (e.g., 'newt' for ncurses, 'dialog' for console dialogs, 'gnome' or 'kde' for graphical environments, 'curses', 'readline', or 'text') before executing the specified command. This ensures that the progress bar is rendered correctly within the user's chosen debconf interface, providing a consistent user experience during package operations, regardless of whether a graphical or console environment is in use.

debconf-apt-progress is a foundational utility within the Debian and Ubuntu Linux distributions' package management ecosystem. It was developed to enhance user experience by providing clear, interactive progress feedback during potentially long-running package installation, upgrade, and removal operations, integrating seamlessly with debconf's various frontends since its early days to offer a consistent look and feel across different environments.

apt(8), apt-get(8), dpkg(8), debconf(7), apt-progress-formatter(1)