Re: [Boost-build] selecting Python version for Boost.Python

Subject: Re: [Boost-build] selecting Python version for Boost.Python
From: Stefan Seefeld (stefan_at_[hidden])
Date: 2018-02-06 19:46:45

On 06.02.2018 14:30, Steven Watanabe via Boost-build wrote:
> AMDG
>
> On 02/06/2018 11:47 AM, Stefan Seefeld via Boost-build wrote:
>> [Rene, I suppose you are the person most familiar with the Python
>> support in b2, so I suspect you know the answer to the below questions.
>> But this is also about consistency, so I'd like to extend the question
>> to understand how b2 deals with multiple values (such as for the
>> "toolset" feature) in general.]
>>
>>
>> I'm reviewing the b2 logic in `python.jam` as well as Boost.Python's
>> Jamfiles, and I'm not sure about the intended logic as far as multiple
>> Python versions are concerned:
>>
>> With my `user-config.jam` file containing two `using python ...`
>> statements (with two distinct versions), is the intent for Boost.Python
>> being built for both ? Or only if the two differ in the major version
>> number (i.e., '2' and '3') ? And what about using "python=N" as
>> command-line option to `b2` ? if I set "N" to be a version string not
>> defined in my `user-config.jam` file, I get an error ("... is not a
>> known value of feature <python"). But if I give a "known value", nothing
>> happens, i.e. `b2` still builds both versions.
>>
>> So what is the intended semantic for giving multiple python versions in
>> my `user-config.jam` file, and what is the intent for "python=N" on the
>> command line ?
>>
> The normal b2 rules are:
> - The first version specified is the default, which will
>   be used if no version is given explicitly.

So for those "normal" cases, where is a) the list of specified versions
and b) the selected version stored ?
(I see the `toolset` variable (feature) holds the full list. Where is
the actual selection stored if I run `b2 toolset=gcc` ?)

> - If one or more versions are specified on the
>   command line, then exactly those versions will be built.

That corresponds to my expectation.

> - All versions used must be initialized in user-config.jam
>   (or another configuration file).

Can you elaborate ? What about default versions ? What if I have an
empty `user-config.jam` file ? "gcc" will still be found, even if I
don't explicitly initialize it in any configuration file. Or is there
anywhere a list of explicit gcc versions that are supported ?

>   Python does not conform to this.  It only supports one
> version of python 2 and one version of python 3 which
> are determined solely by the configuration files and
> cannot be overridden on the command line.

That's exactly what I'd like to fix. In fact, there are multiple issues
I'd like to fix, but to do that I need to understand what behaviour
would be consistent with the rest of b2.
Here are the issues I want to address:

* `b2 python=<N>` doesn't have any effect, when it really should pick a
single python version
* the current logic builds at most two versions, as you say: at most one
python 2 and one python 3 version. For consistency we should build as
many versions as are selected
* a requirement for the last point: instead of just appending '3' to the
library name iff it's built with Python 3, the real Python version, i.e.
<major><minor> (without the dot) should be appended.

Where is the looping over all (selected) toolsets being implemented ?
And what would be the right location to add the equivalent looping over
Python versions ? (I'm now hacking something together within the
Boost.Python Jamfile. But that's far from ideal as I need similar loops
for the tests...)

Thanks,
        Stefan

Stefan

-- 
      ...ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin...