Re: [Boost-cmake] Configuration for sonames for the boost dynamic libraries on Unix

Subject: Re: [Boost-cmake] Configuration for sonames for the boost dynamic libraries on Unix
From: Ingmar Vanhassel (ingmar_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-10-28 16:42:43

Excerpts from troy d. straszheim's message of Wed Oct 28 21:23:26 +0100 2009:
> Ingmar Vanhassel wrote:
> > Excerpts from Sean Chittenden's message of Wed Oct 28 21:08:19 +0100 2009:
> >>>> Avoid pkg-config, it's very Linux and drags in a ton of dependencies
> >>>> (most of the time, never required, but that's the way it goes with
> >>>> everyone's packaging system of choice).  A cmake variable would be
> >>>> preferred, imo (similar to the cmake boost version foo).  -sc
> >>> So let's make pkg-config opt-in?
> >> Totally, pkg-config is useful goodness.  Use it if it's there, but not  
> >> make it the primary or only way.
> >>
> >>> What ton of dependencies are you referring to?
> >> At a minimum it currently requires the following to build (and their  
> >> subsequent dependencies):
> >>
> >> gettext-0.17_1 gmake-3.81_3 libiconv-1.13.1
> > 
> > I'm fairly sure you can --disable-nls to get rid of gettext & libiconv.
> > 
> >>> How's it linuxy? Do you mean that it's not convenient on non-unix?
> >> pkgconfig has a tendency to suck in other gnome projects due to its  
> >> gnome lineage.  Ugh.
> > 
> > If you're referring to its limited use of glib, you can disable this
> > too, and it'll use an embedded copy of the few things it uses from glib.
> > Not ideal, but workable.
> > 
> >>> pkg-config is quite useful on linux distributions. I largely prefer  
> >>> using
> >>> pkg-config over going back to having a gazillion foo-config binaries.
> >> I get the value of pkg-config, not arguing against it, just pointing  
> >> out that we have the necessary tools in place with cmake and that  
> >> cmake is well suited for solving this problem without adding  
> >> additional dependencies.  :)
> > 
> > Okay, then we don't really disagree. :-)
> > 
> 
> So none of these dependencies apply to us generating the file (s) 
> necessary for pkg-config, right?  I'd assumed this would be as easy as 
> generating the file (with configure_file) and installing it to the right 
> place.  Could somebody post a template config file and instructions on 
> where to install it?

You don't need pkg-config at all to generate a pkg-config file, you need
it to use the file, ie when building packages that want to find boost
via pkg-config

Something like this would generate boost.pc from boost.pc.cmake when
building boost. (Note: From memory, I'm not looking at boost-cmake.git
atm)

CMakeLists.txt:
---
configure_file(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/boost.pc.cmake
	${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/boost.pc
	@ONLY)
install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/boost.pc
	DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/lib${LIB_SUFFIX}/pkgconfig)
---
then a boost.pc.cmake:
---
prefix=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@
exec_prefix=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@
libdir=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@/lib_at_LIB_SUFFIX@
includedir=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@/include/boost
Name: Boost
Description: Description about Boost
Version: @BOOST_VERSION@
Libs:
Cflags:
----
Or maybe one .pc file per library. Not sure
-- 
Exherbo KDE, X.org maintainer