Re: [Boost-build] Named metatarget parameters

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] Named metatarget parameters
From: Spencer E. Olson (olsonse_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-03-11 10:48:32

I wasn't going to chime in, but I had to reply to at least one of the previous 
posts.

Regardless of whether the language parsing could be a problem as Rene pointed 
out, the arg-type: value1 value2 thing just looks plain ugly and a lot 
different from what is used currently.  Personally, I like the suggestions 
that Johan is making, such that we would have the following (including the [] 
portion in the requirements):

lib program_options
    : parsers.cpp # By position
    : requirements
        <link>static
        [ target-builds has_long_long : "skipping boost.math long long" ]
    : usage-requirements <define>BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB=1
    : default-build
        <toolset>gcc:<variant>release
        <toolset>pgi:<variant>debug
    : description "Does something about dashes on command line"
    : license "BSL 1.0"
    ;

I really don't like the overuse of the ':' character.  The above looks a lot 
more like 'project' and is much easier to understand and use than either the 
current format or some of the other suggestions.  Furthermore, because we are 
not introducing a new concept for the ':' character, we don't add any more 
confusion especially when you might want to put a conditional as demonstrated 
above in the 'default-build' portion.

Spencer

On Thursday 11 March 2010 06:43, Rene Rivera wrote:
> Johan Nilsson wrote:
> > ... but looks even messier. Perhaps the first one (i.e. example after
> > the "Why not:" above) would be a reasonable candidate?
>
> I'm afraid that the whole "arg-type: value1 value2" is not going to work
> from a language parsing point of view because of:
>
> exe e : e.cpp :
>    my-option: What's that:
>    another-option: <fubar>2
> ;