How do I create a PPA?

Solution 1:

Using a Personal Package Archive (PPA), you can distribute software and updates directly to Ubuntu users. Create your source package, upload it and Launchpad will build binaries and then host them in your own apt repository.

Create a Launchpad Account.
Activate a PPA.
You can only activate a PPA if you have signed the Ubuntu code of conduct.
What are PPAs and how do I use them?
Uploading your source packages.

Here is a detailed explanation.

Solution 2:

How to create a .deb file

This is a tutorial on creating a basic .deb file from a given sample script. In this tutorial first we create a sample program in bash that just show 'HELLO FROM PROGRAM'. Then we create a control file for the program in order to make a debian installer. Finally they are packaged into a .deb file.

Steps:

create a sample program in bash

mkdir "$HOME/create_deb/pgmdir"
gedit "$HOME/create_deb/pgmdir/zenity_hello.sh"

paste the following code into it

#!/bin/bash
echo 'HELLO FROM PROGRAM' | zenity --text-info

Make the program executable

chmod +x "$HOME/create_deb/pgmdir/zenity_hello.sh"

Create control file for the debian package

Make a file named control inside folder DEBIAN

mkdir "$HOME"/create_deb/DEBIAN
gedit "$HOME"/create_deb/DEBIAN/control

and paste following details

Package: hellodeb
Version: 0.1
Architecture: all
Maintainer: totti
Installed-Size: 6
Depends: zenity, bash
Section: testing
Priority: optional
Homepage: http://askubuntu.com
Description: This is my first debian package.
 Guided by Totti Torvalds.
 In Description new line start with a space.

You can edit the contents if you like. Read more about the format of this file here and here.

Create postinst script, that is executed immediately after installation of the package

gedit "$HOME"/create_deb/DEBIAN/postinst

then paste

#!/bin/sh
set -e
echo 'Installing program : zenity_hello.sh ......' | zenity --text-info

and make it executable

chmod +x "$HOME/create_deb/DEBIAN/postinst"

Create prerm script, that is executed before removal of the package

#!/bin/sh
set -e
echo 'Removing program : zenity_hello.sh ......' | zenity --text-info

and make it executable

chmod +x "$HOME/create_deb/DEBIAN/prerm"

Make package structure and copy programs, data, etc..
Create a structure of your installed programs and its data. In this example we put the file at /bin.
```
mkdir -p "$HOME"/create_deb/bin
cp "$HOME/create_deb/pgmdir/zenity_hello.sh" "$HOME/create_deb/bin/zenity_hello"
```
Build the .deb file.
```
dpkg-deb --build "$HOME"/create_deb .
```
The . will auto name the .deb file with version, arch etc. Or your custom name
```
dpkg-deb --build "$HOME"/create_deb "$HOME"/create_deb/hellodeb.deb
```
Or if you build the .deb file with
```
debuild -k'your GPG key here' -S
```
then you can upload it to Ubuntu Launchpad with
```
dput ppa:<lp-username>/<ppa-name> packet-source.changes
```
like described here (source: create a .deb Package from scripts or binaries)
Install the newly created .deb package. You can open it with software-center but it may not allow you to install. So I recommend to use gdebi package manager.
```
sudo apt-get install gdebi

gdebi "$HOME"/create_deb/hellodeb.deb
```
Now you can install it. During installation you should see a gtk dialogue

Installing program : zenity_hello.sh ......
After installing open a terminal and type zenity_hello. If the program correctly installed and everything OK you should see a gtk dialogue

HELLO FROM PROGRAM
Removing package
```
sudo apt-get remove zenity_hello
```

Publish your repository in 2 minutes

As the OP wants a simple way to publish his packages I'm giving an easy hack.

requirement: dropbox (or anyother service, for ex. github) account with a public folder.

Create a folder inside your Public-Dropbox-Folder where you put your *.deb Files:
```
mkdir ~/Dropbox/Public/deb-packages  
```
or create that folder somwhere else and put a symlink in your Public folder:
```
mkdir ~/deb-packages
cd ~/Dropbox/Public
ln -s ~/deb-packages/ deb-packages
```
Go into that folder and create a script that, when executed, creates the Packages.gz, containing all the needed informationen about your deb-packages. create:
```
gedit import.sh  
```
put this in it:
```
#!/bin/bash
dpkg-scanpackages . /dev/null |gzip > Packages.gz
```
make it executable:
```
chmod  x import.sh
```
Copy some *.deb Files into the Folder. Could be your own or some that aren't available through other repositories. Then go into the Folder and execute the script we put there:
```
cd ~/deb-packages/ 
./import.sh
```
That should create the so called Packages.gz File, which apt looks for to know which Packages are located at this repository.

That's it

Now, wait for Dropbox to synchronize the Folder and grab the Public-URL from the Packages.gz. It should look something like this:

http://dl.getdropbox.../Packages.gz

Get rid of the end of that link, put some more words to it and you can now use and populate the following line for the sources.list:

deb http://dl.getdropbox.../deb-packages ./

That's it you got your own deb repository running. Always synchronized locally, but available to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

NOTE: dpkg-scanpackages is available from dpkg-dev
reference

Solution 3:

You will need a Launchpad.net account to create a PPA. Just click on your user on Launchpad (click on your name on the upper left) and create a PPA. You may have to first sign the Code of Conduct and have a GPG key registered with your account.