[Boost-build] please explain bjam --help tool-name.init

From: Roland Schwarz (roland.schwarz_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-02-09 03:05:19

I was trying to read and understand the bjam --help tool-name.init
lines.

1) bjam --help msvc.init gives:

  [... some lines snipped ...]

  Depending on a supplied version, detected configurations and presence
  'cl.exe' in the path different results may be achieved. The following table
  describes all possible cases:

  Nothing "x.y" Passed Nothing "x.y" detected, detected, version detected
  detected cl.exe in path cl.exe in path

  default Error Use "x.y" Create "default" Use "x.y" all None Use all None Use
  all x.y - Use "x.y" - Use "x.y" a.b Error Error Create "a.b" Create "a.b"

  "x.y" - refers to a detected version; "a.b" - refers to an undetected version.

  Note: for free VC7.1 tools, we don't correctly find vcvars32.bar when user
  explicitly provides a path.

  * version: the msvc version which is being configured. When omitted the tools
    invoked when no explicit version is given will be configured.
  * command: the command to invoke the compiler. If not specified: - if version
    is given, default location for that version will be searched - if version is
    not given, default locations for 7.1, 7.0 and 6.* will be searched - if
    compiler is not found in default locations, PATH will be searched.
  * options: options can include <setup>, <compiler>, <assembler>, <linker> and
    <resource-compiler> <compiler-filter> Command to pipe the output of running
    the compiler. For example to pass the output to STLfilt.

   my questions:
   *) I can see no table. I guess there is some formatting problem.
      I cannot understand the lines following.
   *) The options set seems incomplete. At least I was able to use
      <cxxflags> too. Are there others? Is there a default set, and
      the toolset specifics are just add-ons?
   *) Where is the documentation to the options, e.g. <setup> ?

2) bjam --help borland.init gives:

    ...found 1 target...

    which is not very helpful. Would it be possible to add the standard
    text at minimum?

Thank you for attention.

Roland