[Boost-build] [run] need help with b2

Subject: [Boost-build] [run] need help with b2
From: Raffi Enficiaud (raffi.enficiaud_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-10-24 15:40:09

Dear all,

There are several threads in this ML that I raised and are left open 
without any positive outcome on my side.

I have some fixes in boost.test and I would like to avoid any regression 
of the kind I had for 1.62 in the future. Those fixes are ready to 
merge, but blocked by the b2 issues.

To avoid regressions, I need several improvements of the "run" commands. 
Those would be to my opinion a good thing for b2:

- being able to [run binary] without being forced to rebuild the binary, 
on all platforms (see my post "[run] error on Win32: trying to create a 
binary out of target name", 19/10/16). Basically a "[run ]" should be a 
command that is not so tightly coupled with a build (but would trigger a 
build if needed).

- being able to [run binary] several times with several command line 
options, without any aliasing/troubleshooting among those runs

- being able to discover the output folder of a test (see post "[run] 
parameter containing the build directory"), in order to assert the 
postconditions of a run when some system behaviour is expected

- being able to propagate easily the requirements, in case the tests 
should not run on specific platforms (inside the thread "[run] parameter 
containing the build directory")

- being able to declare environment variables for [run ...] commands 
(thread "[run] specifying environment variables for running tests")

Those are the basics I use with cmake. I would really appreciate to have 
those features in b2 directly and avoid a quick and dirty fix with cmake 
on my private build agents.

I do not know how I may work this out with a b2 specialist, but I have 
to say I am a bit blocked and I am starting feeling a bit frustrated by 
the time it takes for me to get something done with b2.

Thanks in advance,
Raffi