Re: [Boost-build] allowing targets to fail

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] allowing targets to fail
From: Steven Watanabe (watanabesj_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-03-24 19:56:36

AMDG

On 03/24/2017 01:00 PM, Stefan Seefeld via Boost-build wrote:
> 
> the bjam C code presently allows for actions to fail if the "xfail" flag
> is set. This means that actions are either expected to pass (default) or
> fail (if the xfail flag is set). `b2` will report an error if it wasn't
> able to rebuild any targets.
> 
> How does that map to tests, which may pass or fail (at various stages of
> the process) ? Is there a way to indicate to b2 that a (test) target may
> fail to be built or be run ? And similarly, is it possible to still
> collect the status of these tests so a proper test report can be generated ?
> 
> Consider for example a dependency graph where D depends on C depends on
> B depends on A. A and B are ordinary (file) targets, but C and D are
> 'test targets' (for example, C may compile a test, and D may run it).
> How could I allow C or D to fail (i.e. tell b2 not to generate an error
> message), but still record the error for a later report generation step
> ?

  I'm not quite sure I understand.  If you don't want an
error message, then where exactly is the error supposed to
be recorded?

> In addition, how could I write another target E that should only be
> run after all the others, but without depending on the tests having run
> successfully ?
> 

  Make E depend on a NOTFILE NOCARE target, which
has a dependency on all the tests.  In theory, I
think this is supposed to work, but the implementation
seems buggy.  (When I tried it, E silently disappears)

In Christ,
Steven Watanabe