Re: [boost] Dependency report

Subject: Re: [boost] Dependency report
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-07-27 15:46:07

On 7/17/17 5:04 AM, Peter Dimov via Boost wrote:
> I haven't run one of these in a while, so here it is.
> 
> http://pdimov.com/tmp/report-develop-6db78a0a6/module-overview.html
> http://pdimov.com/tmp/report-develop-6db78a0a6/module-levels.html
> http://pdimov.com/tmp/report-develop-6db78a0a6/module-weights.html
> 
> We have one "supermodule" at level 5 and another at level 13.

I like these reports and find them interesting.  But one thing would 
make them much more useful to me.  Consider the following scenario:

I have a small app which uses the date_time library.  I would like to 
know what boost modules I need to include.  I look on your charts, and 
see that date-time has a primary dependency on the serialization 
library.  This suggests that I need to include the serialization library 
in my small app to make it work - which is actually untrue.  Now what 
useful information has your report given me?

The problem of is that my small app includes only those headers from 
date-time that it actually needs.  So a useful dependency report would 
only follow those headers.  So.....

Could I ask for a feature enhancement for these tools (assuming they 
don't already have it). Could I list a set of source files which would 
constitute the "root" of the the dependency search.  Then I could

make my small app

run your tools with tool "small_app.cpp"

Get a list of boost submodules that I need to package/deliver with my 
small app.

Seems like it would not be too difficult to add this facility and it 
would be pretty useful. I would like to see it added tot he boost/tools 
directory as a complement to bcp.

Robert Ramey