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[bug#47709,2/2] doc: Document 'gnu-build-system' keyword parameters.

Message ID 20210411134606.26449-2-ludo@gnu.org
State Accepted
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Series Augment build phases and build system doc | expand

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Ludovic Courtès April 11, 2021, 1:46 p.m. UTC
* doc/guix.texi (Build Systems): Document keyword parameters of
'gnu-build-system'.
---
 doc/guix.texi | 78 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 78 insertions(+)

Comments

M April 11, 2021, 2:59 p.m. UTC | #1
Some small remarks:

On Sun, 2021-04-11 at 15:46 +0200, Ludovic Courtès wrote:
> 
> [...]
> @@ -7307,6 +7307,84 @@ Coreutils, Bash, Make, Diffutils, grep, and sed (see the @code{(guix
>  build-system gnu)} module for a complete list).  We call these the
>  @dfn{implicit inputs} of a package, because package definitions do not
>  have to mention them.
> +
> +This build system supports a number of keyword arguments, which can be
> +passed @i{via}

Why the italics?  I've heard some people italicise "via" because it's a foreign
word (from Latin), but I'm not convinced.  I don't see anyone italicising
"broccoli", even though it is Italian (going by
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broccoli).

>  the @code{arguments} field of a package.  Here are some
> +of the main parameters:
> +
> +@table @code
> +@item #:phases
> +This argument specifies build-side code that evaluates to an alist of
> +build phases.  @xref{Build Phases}, for more information.
> +
> +@item #:configure-flags
> +This is a list of flags (strings) passed to the @command{configure}
> +script.  @xref{Defining Packages}, for an example.
> +
> +@item #:make-flags
> +This list of strings contains flags passed as arguments to
> +@command{make} invocations in the @code{build}, @code{check}, and
> +@code{install} phases.
> +
> +@item #:out-of-source?
> +This Boolean,
‘Boolean’ is miscapitalised.

>  @code{#f} by default, indicates whether to run builds in a
> +build directory separate from the source tree.
> +
> +When it is true, the @code{configure} phase creates a separate build
> +directory, changes to that directory, and runs the @code{configure}
> +script from there.  This is useful for packages that require it, such as
> +@code{glibc}.
> +
> +@item #:tests?
> +This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, indicates whether the @code{check}
> +phase should run the package's test suite.

Likewise (miscapitalised).
> +@item #:test-target
> +This string, @code{"check"} by default, gives the name of the makefile
> +target used by the @code{check} phase.
> +
> +@item #:parallel-build?
> +@itemx #:parallel-tests?
> +These Boolean values specify whether to build, respectively run the test
Likewise (miscapitalised).
> +suite, in parallel, with the @code{-j} flag of @command{make}.  When
> +they are true, @code{make} is passed @code{-j@var{n}}, where @var{n} is
> +the number specified as the @option{--cores} option of
> +@command{guix-daemon} or that of the @command{guix} client command
> +(@pxref{Common Build Options, @option{--cores}}).
> +
> +@cindex RUNPATH, validation
> +@item #:validate-runpath?
> +This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, determines whether to ``validate''
Likewise (miscapitalised).

> +the @code{RUNPATH} of ELF binaries (@code{.so} shared libraries as well
> +as executables) previously installed by the @code{install} phase.
> +
> +This validation step consists in making sure that all the shared
> +libraries needed by an ELF binaries, which are listed as
> +@code{DT_NEEDED} entries in its @code{PT_DYNAMIC} segment, appear in the
> +@code{DT_RUNPATH} entry of that binary.  In other words, it ensures that
> +running or using those binaries will not result in a ``file not found''
> +error at run time.  @xref{Options, @option{-rpath},, ld, The GNU
> +Linker}, for more information on @code{RUNPATH}.
> +
> +@item #:substitutable?
> +This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, tells whether the package outputs

Likewise (miscapitalised).

> +should be substitutable---i.e., whether users should be able to obtain
> +substitutes for them instead of building locally (@pxref{Substitutes}).
> +
> +@item #:allowed-references
> +@itemx #:disallowed-references
> +When true, these arguments must be a list of dependencies that must not
> +appear among the references of the build results.  If, upon build
> +completion, some of these references are retained, the build process
> +fails.
> +
> +This is useful to ensure that a package does not erroneously keep a
> +reference to some of it build-time inputs, in cases where doing so
> +would, for example, unnecessarily increase its size (@pxref{Invoking
> +guix size}).
> +@end table
> +
> +Most other build systems support these keyword arguments.
>  @end defvr
>  
>  Other @code{<build-system>} objects are defined to support other

No other remarks. LGTM

Greetings,
Maxime.
Ludovic Courtès April 12, 2021, 12:17 p.m. UTC | #2
Hi,

Maxime Devos <maximedevos@telenet.be> skribis:

> On Sun, 2021-04-11 at 15:46 +0200, Ludovic Courtès wrote:
>> 
>> [...]
>> @@ -7307,6 +7307,84 @@ Coreutils, Bash, Make, Diffutils, grep, and sed (see the @code{(guix
>>  build-system gnu)} module for a complete list).  We call these the
>>  @dfn{implicit inputs} of a package, because package definitions do not
>>  have to mention them.
>> +
>> +This build system supports a number of keyword arguments, which can be
>> +passed @i{via}
>
> Why the italics?  I've heard some people italicise "via" because it's a foreign
> word (from Latin), but I'm not convinced.

Italicizing foreign words is a typographical convention.

> I don't see anyone italicising "broccoli", even though it is Italian
> (going by https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broccoli).

True.  :-)

>> +@item #:out-of-source?
>> +This Boolean,
> ‘Boolean’ is miscapitalised.

I don’t think so: it derives from a family name, and my understanding is
that the convention is to capitalize such words; the lower-case variant
“boolean” is definitely widespread, though.

Thanks for taking a look!

Ludo’.
Ludovic Courtès April 12, 2021, 4:45 p.m. UTC | #3
Hi!

I went ahead and pushed as d14f21389c7faeb8a763ebbcf1b8aa1ba4deade9.

Ludo’.
Ludovic Courtès April 12, 2021, 4:45 p.m. UTC | #4
Hi!

I went ahead and pushed as d14f21389c7faeb8a763ebbcf1b8aa1ba4deade9.

Ludo’.
diff mbox series

Patch

diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index c8d3422189..12245003d4 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -7307,6 +7307,84 @@  Coreutils, Bash, Make, Diffutils, grep, and sed (see the @code{(guix
 build-system gnu)} module for a complete list).  We call these the
 @dfn{implicit inputs} of a package, because package definitions do not
 have to mention them.
+
+This build system supports a number of keyword arguments, which can be
+passed @i{via} the @code{arguments} field of a package.  Here are some
+of the main parameters:
+
+@table @code
+@item #:phases
+This argument specifies build-side code that evaluates to an alist of
+build phases.  @xref{Build Phases}, for more information.
+
+@item #:configure-flags
+This is a list of flags (strings) passed to the @command{configure}
+script.  @xref{Defining Packages}, for an example.
+
+@item #:make-flags
+This list of strings contains flags passed as arguments to
+@command{make} invocations in the @code{build}, @code{check}, and
+@code{install} phases.
+
+@item #:out-of-source?
+This Boolean, @code{#f} by default, indicates whether to run builds in a
+build directory separate from the source tree.
+
+When it is true, the @code{configure} phase creates a separate build
+directory, changes to that directory, and runs the @code{configure}
+script from there.  This is useful for packages that require it, such as
+@code{glibc}.
+
+@item #:tests?
+This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, indicates whether the @code{check}
+phase should run the package's test suite.
+
+@item #:test-target
+This string, @code{"check"} by default, gives the name of the makefile
+target used by the @code{check} phase.
+
+@item #:parallel-build?
+@itemx #:parallel-tests?
+These Boolean values specify whether to build, respectively run the test
+suite, in parallel, with the @code{-j} flag of @command{make}.  When
+they are true, @code{make} is passed @code{-j@var{n}}, where @var{n} is
+the number specified as the @option{--cores} option of
+@command{guix-daemon} or that of the @command{guix} client command
+(@pxref{Common Build Options, @option{--cores}}).
+
+@cindex RUNPATH, validation
+@item #:validate-runpath?
+This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, determines whether to ``validate''
+the @code{RUNPATH} of ELF binaries (@code{.so} shared libraries as well
+as executables) previously installed by the @code{install} phase.
+
+This validation step consists in making sure that all the shared
+libraries needed by an ELF binaries, which are listed as
+@code{DT_NEEDED} entries in its @code{PT_DYNAMIC} segment, appear in the
+@code{DT_RUNPATH} entry of that binary.  In other words, it ensures that
+running or using those binaries will not result in a ``file not found''
+error at run time.  @xref{Options, @option{-rpath},, ld, The GNU
+Linker}, for more information on @code{RUNPATH}.
+
+@item #:substitutable?
+This Boolean, @code{#t} by default, tells whether the package outputs
+should be substitutable---i.e., whether users should be able to obtain
+substitutes for them instead of building locally (@pxref{Substitutes}).
+
+@item #:allowed-references
+@itemx #:disallowed-references
+When true, these arguments must be a list of dependencies that must not
+appear among the references of the build results.  If, upon build
+completion, some of these references are retained, the build process
+fails.
+
+This is useful to ensure that a package does not erroneously keep a
+reference to some of it build-time inputs, in cases where doing so
+would, for example, unnecessarily increase its size (@pxref{Invoking
+guix size}).
+@end table
+
+Most other build systems support these keyword arguments.
 @end defvr
 
 Other @code{<build-system>} objects are defined to support other