Re: [Boost-build] [ANN] Boost.Build Plugin for Qt Creator

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] [ANN] Boost.Build Plugin for Qt Creator
From: Mateusz Loskot (mateusz_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-12-18 09:08:43

On 14 December 2013 16:58, Jürgen Hunold <jhunold_at_gmx.eu> wrote:
> On Friday, 6. December 2013 00:24:22 Mateusz Loskot wrote:
>>
>> Recently, I've started using Qt Creator more and more,
>> so I wrote a little helper for myself.
>> I thought, someone here may find it helpful too:
>>
>> https://github.com/mloskot/qt-creator-plugin-boostbuild

Hi Jürgen,

> Thanks a lot. I was thinking about implementing this, too. But unfortunately
> out of time, as usual.

I'm glad you find the project useful.

> I've tested it and created GitHub pull requests for the detected issues.

I've just merged it, sorry for delay. Thanks a lot!

> I'm now stuck on the --build-dir options as I'm setting the build-dir via  the
> "build-dir" option of the the project. Can this be parsed and the --build-dir
> option disabled? Clearing the path does not work right now too.

I see. I agree it should be improved:
https://github.com/mloskot/qt-creator-plugin-boostbuild/issues/7

Here comes Boost.Build fu shortage on my end, as I have never
used build-dir option in Jamfile, I didn't even know it existed.
So, I very appreciate pointing out this kind of issues.

Originally, as explained in README, I aimed to avoid any kind of parsing of
Jamfiles, but I eventually found it is unavoidable for some features.
Hence, I don't mind adding parsers to retrieve more definitions from Jamfiles.
I just neither know Boost.Jam|Build enough nor I have time now in order to
implement a fully featured Jamfile parser.

I'd rather invest my time helping Volodya to implement Boost.Build client
interface layer (I've discussed it with Volodya briefly) in order to enable
proper implementation of BB for IDEs.
Then, I'll update my plugin.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to accept plumbing-kind of patches - whatever
improves current usability of the plugin.

> And I think QtCreator should be told to ignore the "***passed***" status
> message of testing.jam somehow.

The intention of parsing runtime/compile-time tests output was to add
custom formatting to those lines [1] in order to make it easier to
identify problems and visually gather summary of tests
(do I have any red lines? bad! all green? good!),
but it turns either impossible or bad idea (as per the thread [1]).

So, I'm going to make it better using Issues/Tasks view,
icons and categories as I was advised about by Qt Creator devs [2]:

"""
https://codereview.qt-project.org/#change,72040 adds support for custom
icons to the tasks in the build issues. You could use those to make your
tests stand out a bit more in that list.

You could even move them into their own task category, so that you
toggle the tests in the build issues separately from the compile issues.
I would recommend doing that anyway
"""

[1] http://lists.qt-project.org/pipermail/qt-creator/2013-December/003016.html
[2] http://lists.qt-project.org/pipermail/qt-creator/2013-December/003026.html

I've found such colouring essential since I started working with Boost.Geometry,
hence my old-but-now-deprecated :)
proposal https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/3508

> But this is cool and useable as is. Nice Work!

I'm happy to hear!

Best regards,
-- 
Mateusz  Łoskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net