Re: [Boost-build] Patch for generate.jam to generate to be wrapped by other rules

From: Jurko Gospodnetić (jurko.gospodnetic_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-07-19 13:41:12

   Hi Jonathan.

> The generate main target currently only works if you pass it a 
> <generating-rule> using the '@' construction.  If you don't, it silently 
> just doesn't do anything.
> 
> Here's a patch that cleans this up so that it properly gives an error if 
> it can't run the <generating-rule>, and also just tries to call the rule 
> via indirect.call if no '@' prefix is found, which allows people to 
> write wrapper rules that use generate.

   Thanks for the patch.

   I'll look at it but one thing I do not understand is what you mean by 
'which allows people to write weapper rules that use generate'.

   So far when Boost Build wants to take a 'pointer to a rule' argument 
it consistently requires that you prefix the rule name with a @ 
character. Why would this place be special and allow the user to skip 
the @ character? Also, Boost Build depends on such 'indirect' feature 
values begining with @ to do some processing on them in the 
property.translate-indirect to make sure those rules are processed in 
the context of the correct module.

   Best regards,
     Jurko Gospodnetić