Re: [Boost-build] Idiom for running tests using (non-test) target?

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] Idiom for running tests using (non-test) target?
From: Mat Marcus (mat-lists_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-10-26 14:17:51

On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 4:46 AM, Vladimir Prus <ghost_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On Sunday 26 October 2008 00:20:17 Steven Watanabe wrote:
>> AMDG
>>
>> Mat Marcus wrote:

[snip]

>> > Is there a way to place a property/feature like
>> > <preserve-test-targets> somewhere in the run rule?
>> >
>>
>> That would be easy.  The test in testing.capture-output
>> just needs to change from
>>
>>     if ! $(preserve-test-targets)
>>
>> to
>>
>>     if ! $(preserve-test-targets) && [ property.select
>> <preserve-test-targets> : $(properties) ] == <preserve-test-targets>off
>
> This is probably how it should have being in the first place. The
> --preserve-test-target is option, and not a property, only for compatibility
> with V1.
>
> But I'm not really sure if the default behaviour should be to remove test targets.
> For Boost testing, the scripts can very well pass the right option, and in general,
> test program are not likely to use very much space -- since shared linking is default
> in Boost.Build, and since object files are not being removed. Should we just flip the
> default?

Thanks for working on this. I'd love to see some kind of solution in
1.37.0 :-). Flipping the default sounds like it could do the trick.

In general, though, I would like to see a property corresponding to
each option. Have you ever considered this? This way I could set
"defaults" for my boost dependent, boost-build-built libraries, so
that my clients can issue the simplest possible bjam command line. For
the case of a preserve-test-targets property, some but not all of my
tests targets are useful outside of the build process. I could imagine
choosing to set the preserve property by default for my useful targets
but not others. In the past I've wished for option-as-feature for
things options such as --without-python, etc. to reduce warning noise
and to speed up build times (by eliminating the python invocation).

 - Mat