[Boost-build] bpl-test sources list being automatically sorted?

Subject: [Boost-build] bpl-test sources list being automatically sorted?
From: Haoyu Bai (divinekid_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-07-13 15:22:43

Hi,

When working on Boost.Python I got a problem with bpl-test, the
Boost.Build rule for declaring Boost.Python test case target. In
summary, when I call "bjam polymorphism2_auto_ptr" to run the test
case, it can run correctly. But when I call "bjam" to run the entire
test suite, the test case "polymorphism2_auto_ptr" will be failed
because the order of the sources was changed.

In detail, I have a test case entry:

[ bpl-test polymorphism2_auto_ptr
  : polymorphism2_auto_ptr.py polymorphism2.py polymorphism2_auto_ptr.cpp
]

The first file, "polymorphism2_auto_ptr.py", is the file that will be
run by the Python interpreter, and the second one "polymorphism2.py"
is a dependency. So "polymorphism2_auto_ptr.py" should be keep as the
first one. But when calling with "bjam" to run the entire test sutie,
the order of these 3 files is changed. "polymorphism2.py" will become
the first file and cause this test case fail.

It seems the sources list get sorted when calling "bjam", but is not
when calling "bjam polymorphism2_auto_ptr". So is this a feature or a
bug, or something wrong in my Boost.Build usage? How can I avoid the
unwanted sort?

Any hints would be appreciate.

Thanks!

-- Haoyu Bai