Re: [Boost-build] Problem with Install Rule

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] Problem with Install Rule
From: Steven Watanabe (watanabesj_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-10-25 13:39:59

AMDG

Vladimir Prus wrote:
> thanks for addressing this! The fact that copy fails to change timestamp
> never occurred to me.
>
> But can you explain how the patch works? Ideally, as a quick comment in the
> patch itself. It appears that /B and /Y options are unrelated to timestamp
> issues, according to my reading -- one forces binary mode, and another
> disables prompting if destination exists (but I did not got any error anyway).
> Does
>
> 	copy a + nonexistent_file dest
>
> actually changes the timestamp, for some reason?
>   

a) The command
    copy a + b dest
concatenates the files a and b and writes the result to dest.
This causes the timestamp of dest to be set to the current time.

b) the error checking of copy does not seem to be very good,
so it doesn't issue an error if the second file doesn't exist.
I'm not sure how portable this is.

c) the normal default is to copy files in binary mode.  However,
copying multiple files to a single destination causes the default
to be ascii mode.  This can truncate files.  That's why I had to add /b.

d) /Y is not needed, as it is the default unless
copy is run interactively.

In Christ,
Steven Watanabe