How to create a .deb package from compiled source files?

Question

Question:

Mono 3.0 is out, but I found no ppa from where I could install it.

There is this one: https://launchpad.net/~directhex/+ppa-packages

but it's mono 2.10.8.1-5.

I'm playing with ASP.NET MVC4, which is why I need the 3.0 release.

Now I can compile & install mono 3.0 myself. How I do it, I tutorialized here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1591370

My problem now is, for every new ubuntu installation I have/want to make (server, laptop, desktop, renewed installation when HD breakes) I need to go through this lengthy procedure again.

So I want to compile it once, and then upload it to a PPA, so that I (and everybody else) don't need to install it from source again.

Now the question: The entire build process needs configure run with options, post-configure makefile fixes, post-configure sourcecode fixes, etc.

Is there an easy way I can create .deb packages from the already compiled files ?

So that in the installation script, I only need to write several times:

cd package_directory_1/
make install
cd package_directory_2/
make install
cd package_directory_3/
make install

etc.

?

Solution

checkinstall, as per tip from Tachyons

apt-get install checkinstall 

checkinstall -D make install

See here for further information:
http://www.falkotimme.com/howtos/checkinstall/

Comments

[Admin]

For personal use , you can use checkinstall, But it is not enough for ppa

[Admin]

Packaging is a job on its own. It's not something you just do by running a simple set of commands. dh* scripts to aid you have a lot of heuristics, but will not automate all for you. I suggest you to start by looking at current packages (dget http://some-ppa/thepackage.dsc) and the Packaging Guide. The good news is that GNU Autotools powered sources are fairly easy to package (at least for personal use, not having to meet the high standards in Debian/Ubuntu).

[Admin]

possible duplicate of Compiling source into a DEB package

[WitchCraft]

Error "make: *** No rule to make target 'package'. Stop."