[Boost-build] [PythonPort] Questions

From: Juergen Hunold (juergen.hunold_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-07-23 12:16:13

Hi !

I've been experimenting with the PythonPort and got it working on Linux.
Before I start hacking some more, I've just got a couple of question:
1) Which Unit Tests must I run in order to verify that I'm doing the right 
thing ? I've found test/test_all.py (the old bjam based testsuite, not working 
for me) and python/tests/unit_tests/runTests.py. Both seem to require some 
magic to get them working. It would be nice if I could get some hints. 
2) Are there any design documents except 
http://zigzag.cs.msu.su/boost.build/wiki/PythonPort/Design ?
3) Shall I try to get everything working "as-is" ?
Rationale: I'm trying to build a rather large project in order to see if 
Python can speed up things a bit. The attached patch fixes my use-case

|# rearrange default-features to shorten build paths
|import feature ;
|feature.set_default threading : multi ;

to override the "single-threading" default of BoostBuild.
What I'm seeing here is that 
a) BoostBuild currently uses "set-default" which is illegal in Python. Should 
I try to get some mapping logic implemented to improve compatibility ?
b) Some design decision (see patch) are not clearly documented. I'm missing a 
clean rationale for most things except the implicit "do it like [b]jam way" 

I think I try and invest some time in porting testing.jam and then qt4.jam so 
I could get my programs to compile with Python on Linux.

And last but not least: Should I try and get  
https://svn.boost.org/svn/boost/branches/build/python_port
in sync with trunk/tools/build/v2 ? I think that the Boost.Build code there is 
rather old.

Yours,

Jürgen
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