Bug 373703 – sys-apps/portage-2.2.0_alpha42 gives invalid package atom for everything

• Status: RESOLVED FIXED
• Product: Portage Development

[Description Albert W. Hopkins 2011-07-01 11:58:09 UTC]

When I upgraded portage today now it seems I can't use portage for anything but --sync.

I always get the following error:

!!! '\' is not a valid package atom.
!!! Please check ebuild(5) for full details.

I've tried updating world and --depclean and even downgrading portage, but I always get the above error.

I don't think this is a problem with my configuration since to my knowledge nothing has changed since the last sync/upgrade.  I even tried moving /etc/portage out of the way but still the same error.don'

I do have the gnome overlay and my local overlay installed.  If there is a problem with an overlay.  Nothing in the overlays changed when I synced and even if the problem is in an overlay, I think the error message would/should be clearer about that.  Not sure where the problem is coming from.

My world file follows:

app-emulation/virt-manager
app-office/libreoffice
app-portage/portage-utils
dev-python/hemp
gnome-extra/gnome-marduk
mail-filter/bogofilter
media-libs/libv4l
net-ftp/vsftpd
net-print/foomatic-filters
net-wireless/iwl3945-ucode
sys-apps/lm_sensors
sys-apps/marduk-system
sys-fs/encfs
sys-kernel/tuxonice-sources

[Comment 1 Albert W. Hopkins 2011-07-01 12:00:57 UTC]

I tried to attach my "emerge --info" but even that fails (same error) :(

Anyway here are my use flags for portage:


stretch / # equery u portage
[ Legend : U - final flag setting for installation]
[        : I - package is installed with flag     ]
[ Colors : set, unset                             ]
 * Found these USE flags for sys-apps/portage-2.2.0_alpha42:
 U I
 - - build      : !!internal use only!! DO NOT SET THIS FLAG YOURSELF!, used
                  for creating build images and the first half of bootstrapping
                  [make stage1]
 - - doc        : Adds extra documentation (API, Javadoc, etc)
 - - epydoc     : Build html API documentation with epydoc.
 - + ipc        : Use inter-process communication between portage and running
                  ebuilds.
 - - less       : Pull in sys-apps/less as default pager for etc-update.
 - - linguas_pl : Polish locale
 - - python2    : Use python2 as Python interpreter.
 - - python3    : Use python3 as Python interpreter.

[Comment 2 Albert W. Hopkins 2011-07-01 12:08:02 UTC]

I figured out the problem.

I had the following in my make.conf:


EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS="--keep-going --usepkg --binpkg-respect-use=y \
    --quiet-build --jobs --load-average=8.0 --quiet-unmerge-warn --oneshot \
    --autounmask=n"

This seems a valid shell operation, but suddenly portage does not like the '\'s anymore.

Removing the '\'s makes portage work again, but I'm leaving this open as it still seems a bug to me.

[Comment 3 Zac Medico 2011-07-01 12:21:06 UTC]

Created attachment 278783 [details, diff]
fix regression in varexpand from bug 365033

Save as /tmp/varexpand.patch and apply as follows:

  patch /usr/lib/portage/pym/portage/util/__init__.py /tmp/varexpand.patch

[Comment 4 Zac Medico 2011-07-01 13:38:18 UTC]

This is fixed in 2.2.0_alpha43.

[Comment 5 Albert W. Hopkins 2011-07-01 14:30:44 UTC]

(In reply to comment #4)
> This is fixed in 2.2.0_alpha43.

Thanks for the quick fix.  You guys are awesome!