Re: [boost] Radical idea for repository structure

From: Emil Dotchevski (emildotchevski_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-09-17 17:53:26

I'm using boost-build build to build my own code. I experimented with a 
structure that was similar to what you're describing. It eventually evolved 
into my current system which still uses boost-build, but defines no 
libraries.

Instead, my code is split into units of much smaller size. A unit is a 
single cpp or hpp file. In the jamfile, each unit lists its dependencies, so 
that when you need the functionality provided by a given unit, it'll 
automatically pull in whatever else is needed.

Of course the release process works the way you describe, except that it has 
the same file-level granularity.

I am not sure if this would also work for Boost.

Emil Dotchevski
http://www.revergestudios.com/reblog/index.php?n=ReCode

David Abrahams wrote:
> A few days ago I started thinking about the implications of giving
> each Boost library a separate subtree of the repository, and it led me
> to some interesting places.
>
> * Start with the assumption that each library has a boost/ directory
>  containing its subset of the headers it currently has.  So, for
>  example, Boost.Python would have
>
>           boost/
>              python.hpp
>              python/
>                 ...
>
>  where "..." above is identical to the current contents of
>  $BOOST_ROOT/boost/python/
>
> * Our release process would merge the boost/ directories
>
> * To test a library from a source distribution, you'd need to get the
>  boost/ directories of any libraries it depends on into the #include
>  path.
>
> * This list of dependency libraries would be encoded in each dependent
>  library's Jamfile.
>
> * Presto, a way to explicitly declare and track library
>  inter-dependencies!  If you fail to declare a dependency in your
>  Jamfile, your tests won't compile.
>
> Thoughts?