bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Mauricio Collares]

Some packages contain valid .el files such that batch-byte-compiling
them does not produce an .elc file, for example because they set
"no-byte-compile" to t. Running batch-byte-compile on such a file exits
successfully (without outputting any .elc file, of course) but running
batch-native-compile exits with native-compiler-error-empty-byte.

In the Nix package manager, we native-compile packages at installation
time, and we do so by calling batch-native-compile for each .el file in
the package separately. So in our use case .el files as described above
shouldn't trigger error messages. We can work around this on the Nix
side, but I was wondering if it would be better to turn the error into a
warning (or even not emit a warning at all, since technically everything
went well).

Step to reproduce: batch-native-compile a file that sets no-byte-compile
to t.

(Reporting this on behalf of a user, see
https://github.com/nix-community/emacs-overlay/issues/120)

Best,
Mauricio

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Andrea Corallo via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Mauricio Collares <mauricio@collares.org> writes:

> Some packages contain valid .el files such that batch-byte-compiling
> them does not produce an .elc file, for example because they set
> "no-byte-compile" to t. Running batch-byte-compile on such a file exits
> successfully (without outputting any .elc file, of course) but running
> batch-native-compile exits with native-compiler-error-empty-byte.
>
> In the Nix package manager, we native-compile packages at installation
> time, and we do so by calling batch-native-compile for each .el file in
> the package separately. So in our use case .el files as described above
> shouldn't trigger error messages. We can work around this on the Nix
> side, but I was wondering if it would be better to turn the error into a
> warning (or even not emit a warning at all, since technically everything
> went well).
>
> Step to reproduce: batch-native-compile a file that sets no-byte-compile
> to t.
>
> (Reporting this on behalf of a user, see
> https://github.com/nix-community/emacs-overlay/issues/120)
>
> Best,
> Mauricio

Hi Mauricio, thanks for the report.

I think we have two option:

1- Assume that `no-byte-compile' implies also `no-native-compile' so
   that we don't produce the .eln and we don't complain when
   `no-byte-compile' is non-nil.

2- Manually add `no-native-compile' to all files we don't want to be
   compiled.

I'll vote for 1, Eli WDYT?

Thanks

  Andrea

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org>
> Cc: 47169@debbugs.gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 20:14:55 +0000
> 
> 1- Assume that `no-byte-compile' implies also `no-native-compile' so
>    that we don't produce the .eln and we don't complain when
>    `no-byte-compile' is non-nil.
> 
> 2- Manually add `no-native-compile' to all files we don't want to be
>    compiled.
> 
> I'll vote for 1, Eli WDYT?

I agree.

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Andrea Corallo via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org>
>> Cc: 47169@debbugs.gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
>> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 20:14:55 +0000
>> 
>> 1- Assume that `no-byte-compile' implies also `no-native-compile' so
>>    that we don't produce the .eln and we don't complain when
>>    `no-byte-compile' is non-nil.
>> 
>> 2- Manually add `no-native-compile' to all files we don't want to be
>>    compiled.
>> 
>> I'll vote for 1, Eli WDYT?
>
> I agree.

Okay f3abb17118 should implement this.

Mauricio could you try if this works for you?

Thanks

  Andrea

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Mauricio Collares]

Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org> writes:
>
> Okay f3abb17118 should implement this.
>
> Mauricio could you try if this works for you?

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for taking a look at this! Making no-byte-compile imply
no-native-compile is a good idea. However, I think the bug is still
present: I just tested f3abb17118 by running batch-native-compile on a
file whose first line is ";;; -*- no-byte-compile: t -*-", and I still
see native-compiler-error-empty-byte being signaled.

Best,
Mauricio

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Andrea Corallo via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Mauricio Collares <mauricio@collares.org> writes:

> Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org> writes:
>>
>> Okay f3abb17118 should implement this.
>>
>> Mauricio could you try if this works for you?
>
> Hi Andrea,
>
> Thanks for taking a look at this! Making no-byte-compile imply
> no-native-compile is a good idea. However, I think the bug is still
> present: I just tested f3abb17118 by running batch-native-compile on a
> file whose first line is ";;; -*- no-byte-compile: t -*-", and I still
> see native-compiler-error-empty-byte being signaled.

Hi Mauricio,

sorry for the sloppy/untested patch, 3e133cc050 works for me please have
a try.

Thanks

  Andrea

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Mauricio Collares]

Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org> writes:
>
> Hi Mauricio,
>
> sorry for the sloppy/untested patch, 3e133cc050 works for me please have
> a try.

Hi Andrea,

I can confirm that I no longer see native-compiler-error-empty-byte
being signaled in such cases. Many thanks for the fix!

Best,
Mauricio

bug#47169: 28.0.50; [feature/native-comp] native-compiler-error-empty-byte when batch-native-compiling is confusing to users

[Andrea Corallo via Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors]

Mauricio Collares <mauricio@collares.org> writes:

> Andrea Corallo <akrl@sdf.org> writes:
>>
>> Hi Mauricio,
>>
>> sorry for the sloppy/untested patch, 3e133cc050 works for me please have
>> a try.
>
> Hi Andrea,
>
> I can confirm that I no longer see native-compiler-error-empty-byte
> being signaled in such cases. Many thanks for the fix!

Super, thanks for reporting.

Closing, thanks!

  Andrea