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<!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
  "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd" [

<!ENTITY % aptent SYSTEM "apt.ent">
%aptent;

]>

<refentry>

 <refentryinfo>
   &apt-author.moconnor;
   &apt-author.team;
   &apt-email;
   &apt-product;
   <!-- The last update date -->
   <date>2 November 2007</date>
 </refentryinfo>
 
 <refmeta>
   <refentrytitle>apt-mark</refentrytitle>
   <manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
 </refmeta>
 
 <!-- Man page title -->
 <refnamediv>
    <refname>apt-mark</refname>
    <refpurpose>Utility to sort package index files</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <!-- Arguments -->
 <refsynopsisdiv>
   <cmdsynopsis>
      <command>apt-mark</command>
      <arg><option>-hv</option></arg>
      <arg><option>-f=<replaceable>FILENAME</replaceable></option></arg>
      <group choice="req"><arg>markauto</arg><arg>unmarkauto</arg></group>
      <arg choice="plain" rep="repeat"><replaceable>package</replaceable></arg>
   </cmdsynopsis>
 </refsynopsisdiv>
 
 <refsect1><title>Description</title>
   <para><command>apt-mark</command> will change whether a package has
   been marked as being automatically installed.
   </para>
   <para>
     When you request that a package is installed, and as a result
     other packages are installed to satisfy its dependencies, the
     depedencies are marked as being automatically installed.  Once
     these automatically installed packages are no longer depended on
     by any manually installed packages, they will be removed.
   </para>
     <variablelist>
       <varlistentry><term>markauto</term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>markauto</literal> is used to mark a
     package as being automatically installed, which will cause the
     package to be removed when no more manually installed packages
     depend on this package.
       </para></listitem>
       </varlistentry>

       <varlistentry><term>unmarkauto</term>
	 <listitem><para><literal>unmarkauto</literal> is used to mark a
     package as being manually installed, which will prevent the
     package from being automatically removed if no other packages
     depend on it.
       </para></listitem>
       </varlistentry>
     </variablelist>
 </refsect1>
 
 <refsect1><title>options</title>
   
   <variablelist>
     <varlistentry><term><option>-f=<filename>FILENAME</filename></option></term><term><option>--file=<filename>FILENAME</filename></option></term>
     <listitem><para>
      
     Read/Write package stats from <filename>FILENAME</filename>
     instead of the default location, which
     is <filename>extended_status</filename> in the directory defined
     by the Configuration Item: <literal>Dir::State</literal>.</para></listitem>
     </varlistentry>
   
     <varlistentry><term><option>-h</option></term>
     <term><option>--help</option></term>
     <listitem><para>Show a short usage summary.
     </para>
     </listitem>
     </varlistentry>
     
     <varlistentry>
      <term><option>-v</option></term>
      <term><option>--version</option></term>
      <listitem><para>Show the program version.
     </para>
     </listitem>
     </varlistentry>

     
   </variablelist>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>See Also</title>
   <para>&apt-conf;</para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1><title>Diagnostics</title>
   <para><command>apt-mark</command> returns zero on normal operation, non-zero on error.</para>
 </refsect1>

 &manbugs;
 
</refentry>