[Boost-docs] Using compiler version in jamfile

Subject: [Boost-docs] Using compiler version in jamfile
From: Edward Diener (eldiener_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-05-12 12:04:33

It seems as if whenever a jamfile needs a compiler version it needs the
full version number.

If I try to use:

<toolset>compiler-n:<cxxflags>-someflag

it does not work unless 'n' is the full version number.

If I try to use:

<toolset-compiler:version>n

it does not work unless 'n' is the full version number.

Would it really be that hard to program Boost Build so that a partial
version number could be used to mean anything starting with that version
number ?

So if I specified a version number of, let's say, '4', it would mean any
version starting with '4.n.n'. If I specified a version number starting
with, let's say, '4.1', it would mean any version starting with '4.1.n'.

Adding this ability to Boost Build would be a great help when setting up
jamfiles. As it is, having to specify an exact version number for every
single one-off situation where a compiler flag must be set or a compiler
must be excluded from a test is a huge PITA. This is especially so as
many compilers put out slightly different full version numbers for every
patch of a particular version ( Intel does this ), rather than add the
proverbial -n to the end for a patch as gcc does.

Please consider adding this ability to Boost Build.