.SH DESCRIPTION
.B dpkg\-gensymbols
scans a temporary build tree (debian/tmp by default) looking for libraries
-and generate a \fIsymbols\fR file describing them. This file is then
-installed in the DEBIAN subdirectory of the build tree so that it ends up
-included in the control information of the package.
+and generate a \fIsymbols\fR file describing them. This file, if
+non-empty, is then installed in the DEBIAN subdirectory of the build tree
+so that it ends up included in the control information of the package.
.P
When generating those files, it uses as input some symbols files
provided by the maintainer. It looks for the following files (and use the