PACKAGE

package states

not-installed # The package is not installed on your system
config-files # Only the configuration files of the package exist on the system
half-installed # The installation of the package has been started, but not completed for some reason
unpacked # The package is unpacked, but not configured
half-configured # The package is unpacked and configuration has been started, but not yet completed for some reason
triggers-awaited # The package awaits trigger processing by another package
triggers-pending # The package has been triggered
installed # The package is correctly unpacked and configured

package selection states

install # The package is selected for installation
hold # A package marked to be on hold is not handled by dpkg, unless forced to do that with option --force-hold
deinstall # The package is selected for deinstallation (i.e. we want to remove all files, except configuration files)
purge # The package is selected to be purged (i.e. we want to remove everything from system directories, even configuration files)

package flags

ok # A package marked ok is in a known state, but might need further processing
reinstreq # A package marked reinstreq is broken and requires reinstallation. These packages cannot be removed, unless forced with option --force-remove-reinstreq

ACTIONS

-i, --install package-file... # Install the package. If --recursive or -R option is specified, package-file must refer to a directory instead
--unpack package-file... # Unpack the package, but don't configure it. If --recursive or -R option is specified, package-file must refer to a directory instead
--configure package...|-a|--pending # Configure a package which has been unpacked but not yet configured.  If -a or --pending is given instead of package, all unpacked but unconfigured packages are configured
--triggers-only package...|-a|--pending # Processes only triggers
-r, --remove package...|-a|--pending # Remove  an  installed  package
-V, --verify [package-name...] # Verifies the integrity of package-name or all packages if omitted, by comparing information from the files installed by a package with the files metadata information stored in the dpkg database
-C, --audit [package-name...] # Performs  database  sanity  and consistency checks for package-name or all packages if omitted (per package checks
--update-avail [Packages-file] # Update dpkg's & old  information  is  replaced  with  the information  in  the  Packages-file
--merge-avail [Packages-file] # Update dpkg's & old information is combined with information from Packages-file
-A, --record-avail package-file... # Update dpkg and dselect's idea of which packages are available with information from the package package-file
--clear-avail # Erase the existing information about what packages are available
--get-selections [package-name-pattern...] # Get list of package selections, and write it to stdout
--set-selections # Set package selections using file read from stdin
--clear-selections # Set the requested state of every non-essential package to deinstall
--yet-to-unpack # Searches for packages selected for installation, but which for some reason still haven't been installed
--predep-package # Print a single package which is the target of one or more relevant pre-dependencies and has itself no unsatisfied pre-dependencies
--add-architecture architecture # Add  architecture  to  the  list of architectures for which packages can be installed without using --force-architecture
--remove-architecture architecture # Remove architecture from the list of architectures for which packages can be installed without using --force-architecture
--print-architecture # Print architecture of packages dpkg installs
--print-foreign-architectures # Print a newline-separated list of the extra architectures dpkg is configured to allow packages to be installed for
--assert-feature # Asserts  that  dpkg  supports  the  requested  feature.     assertable features is:
    support-predepends # Supports the Pre-Depends field
    working-epoch # Supports epochs in version strings
    long-filenames # Supports long filenames in deb(5) archives
    multi-conrep # Supports multiple Conflicts and Replaces
    multi-arch # Supports multi-arch fields and semantics
    versioned-provides # Supports versioned Provides
--validate-thing string # Validate that the thing string has a correct syntax. validatable things is:
    pkgname # Validates the given package name
    trigname # Validates the given trigger name
    archname # Validates the given architecture name
    version # Validates the given version
--compare-versions ver1 op ver2 # Compare  version  numbers,  where op is a binary operator. dpkg returns true (0) if the specified condition is satisfied, and false (1) otherwise
-?, --help # Display a brief help message
--force-help # Give help about the --force-thing options
-Dh, --debug=help # Give help about debugging options
--version # Display dpkg version information
dpkg-deb actions # See dpkg-deb(1) for more information about the following actions
    -b, --build directory [archive|directory] # Build a deb package
    -c, --contents archive # List contents of a deb package
    -e, --control archive [directory] # Extract control-information from a package
    -x, --extract archive directory # Extract the files contained by package
    -X, --vextract archive directory # Extract and display the filenames contained by a
      package
    -f, --field  archive [control-field...]Display control field(s) of a package
    --ctrl-tarfile archiveOutput the control tar-file contained in a Debian package
    --fsys-tarfile archiveOutput the filesystem tar-file contained by a Debian package
    -I, --info archive [control-file...]Show information about a package
dpkg-query actions # See dpkg-query(1) for more information about the following actions
    -l, --list package-name-pattern... # List packages matching given pattern
    -s, --status package-name... # Report status of specified package
    -L, --listfiles package-name... # List files installed to your system from package-name
    -S, --search filename-search-pattern... # Search for a filename from installed packages
    -p, --print-avail package-name... # Display details about package-name, as found in /var/lib/dpkg/available. Users of APT-based frontends should use apt-cache show package-name instead

OPTIONS

--abort-after=number # Change after how many errors dpkg will abort. The default is 50
-B, --auto-deconfigure # When a package is removed, there is a possibility that another installed package depended on the removed package
-Doctal, --debug=octal # Switch debugging on
--force-things
--no-force-things, --refuse-things # Force or refuse (no-force and refuse mean the same thing) to do some things
--ignore-depends=package,... # Ignore dependency-checking for specified packages
--no-act, --dry-run, --simulate # Do everything which is supposed to be done, but don't write any changes
-R, --recursive # Recursively handle all regular files matching pattern *.deb found at specified directories and all of its subdirectories
-G # Don't install a package if a newer version of the same package is already installed. This is an alias of --refuse-downgrade
--admindir=dir # Change default administrative directory, which contains many files that give information about status of installed or uninstalled packages, etc
--instdir=dir # Change default installation directory which refers to the directory where packages are to be installed
--root=dir # Changing root changes instdir to «dir» and admindir to «dir/var/lib/dpkg»
-O, --selected-only # Only process the packages that are selected for installation
-E, --skip-same-version # Don't install the package if the same version of the package is already installed
--pre-invoke=command
--post-invoke=command # Set an invoke hook command to be run via “sh -c” before or after the dpkg run for the unpack, configure,  install,  triggers-only,  remove,  purge,  add-architecture  and  remove-architecture  dpkg  actions
--path-exclude=glob-pattern
--path-include=glob-pattern # Set glob-pattern as a path filter, either by excluding or re-including previously excluded paths matching the specified patterns during install
--verify-format format-name # Sets the output format for the --verify command
--status-fd n # Send machine-readable package status and progress information to file descriptor n
--status-logger=command # Send machine-readable package status and progress information to the shell command s standard input, to be run via “sh -c”
--log=filename #  # Log status change updates and actions to filename, instead of the default /var/log/dpkg.log
--no-debsig # Do not try to verify package signatures
--no-triggers # Do  not  run  any  triggers  in  this run
--triggers # Cancels a previous --no-triggers