Re: [Boost-build] Using multiple toolsets at the same time (was: Simple WiX toolset)

From: Reece Dunn (msclrhd_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-07-20 12:46:44

Andrei Melnikov wrote:
> On 20/07/06, Reece Dunn <msclrhd_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> > Andrei Melnikov wrote:
> > > How should I configure the WiX installation path? using wix : 3.0 :
> > > d:/experiments/wix-3.0 ; doesn't work.
> >
> > You need to specify the full path of candle.exe, like you do with cl.exe
> > for msvc:
> >
> It didn't work because msvc was my default toolset. When I specify wix
> on the command line, it works.

Yeah, sorry. I forgot about that!

> Is this a bug? msvc toolset doesn't have generators for msi.

The problem is that wix is defined as a separate toolset as the logic to
build the MSI files is located in WiX. If I was to place the msi generators
in msvc (and all the other supported Windows toolsets!) I would be implying
that msi<->wix, which I don't want to do! WiX is a separate toolset, unlike
rc, asm, midl and other source file types/tools.

I could get partially around this by having wixmsi, but that looks ugly. We
may end up doing that if you consider other MSI generators like Install Shield
that have their own source files.

However, we would still need to import the generators into the host toolset.

There is also a problem (I believe) in mixing codetrees that are dependant on
C++ and Fortran as these are done as separate toolsets.

Ideally, we want a notion of language groups, e.g. all this information relates
to C++ toolsets (<language>cpp) or MSI (<language>msi) or
Fortran (<language>fortran). That way, we could associate toolsets with
a language group:

   <language>cpp --> <toolset>msvc
   <language>cpp --> <toolset>gcc
   <language>msi --> <toolset>wix
   <language>msi --> <toolset>installshield

That way, if you do:

   bjam

the first toolset *in each language group* will be used for that language
group. If you do:

   bjam msvc gcc wix

Then msvc-wix and gcc-wix are used - i.e. a cross product of the selected
toolsets for each language.

I do not yet know how to implement this language group functionality.

- Reece
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