From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Ben Woodcroft Subject: Re: package dependencies Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2015 17:37:59 +1000 Message-ID: <566E71D7.6020103@uq.edu.au> References: <87zixjttsa.fsf@gmail.com> <20151209201329.20594c2e@weiserose.weiserose.de> <20151210045530.GA28215@thebird.nl> <87bn9uxy0l.fsf@gnu.org> <20151214070332.GA13029@jasmine> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:41976) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1a8Ni1-0000jR-Im for guix-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 14 Dec 2015 02:38:14 -0500 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1a8Nhy-0005ga-Dr for guix-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 14 Dec 2015 02:38:13 -0500 In-Reply-To: <20151214070332.GA13029@jasmine> List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: Leo Famulari , =?UTF-8?Q?Ludovic_Court=c3=a8s?= Cc: guix-devel@gnu.org On 14/12/15 17:03, Leo Famulari wrote: > On Sun, Dec 13, 2015 at 02:45:46PM +0100, Ludovic Court=C3=A8s wrote: >> Hello! >> >> I=E2=80=99ve rephrased the doc in =E2=80=9Cpackage Reference=E2=80=9D = in a way that is hopefully >> clearer: >> >> =E2=80=98inputs=E2=80=99 (default: =E2=80=98'()=E2=80=99) >> =E2=80=98native-inputs=E2=80=99 (default: =E2=80=98'()=E2=80=99) >> =E2=80=98propagated-inputs=E2=80=99 (default: =E2=80=98'()=E2=80= =99) >> These fields list dependencies of the package. Each one is= a >> list of tuples, where each tuple has a label for the input = (a >> string) as its first element, a package, origin, or derivat= ion >> as its second element, and optionally the name of the outpu= t >> thereof that should be used, which defaults to =E2=80=98"ou= t"=E2=80=99 (*note >> Packages with Multiple Outputs::, for more on package >> outputs). For example, the list below specifies 3 inputs: >> >> `(("libffi" ,libffi) >> ("libunistring" ,libunistring) >> ("glib:bin" ,glib "bin")) ;the "bin" output of Glib >> >> The distinction between =E2=80=98native-inputs=E2=80=99 and= =E2=80=98inputs=E2=80=99 is >> necessary when considering cross-compilation. When >> cross-compiling, dependencies listed in =E2=80=98inputs=E2=80= =99 are built for >> the _target_ architecture; conversely, dependencies listed = in >> =E2=80=98native-inputs=E2=80=99 are built for the architect= ure of the _build_ >> machine. >> >> =E2=80=98native-inputs=E2=80=99 is typically where you woul= d list tools needed >> at build time but not at run time, such as Autoconf, Automa= ke, >> pkg-config, Gettext, or Bison. =E2=80=98guix lint=E2=80=99= can report likely >> mistakes in this area (*note Invoking guix lint::). >> >> Lastly, =E2=80=98propagated-inputs=E2=80=99 is similar to =E2= =80=98inputs=E2=80=99, but the >> specified packages will be force-installed alongside the >> package they belong to (*note =E2=80=98guix package=E2=80=99= : >> package-cmd-propagated-inputs, for information on how =E2=80= =98guix >> package=E2=80=99 deals with propagated inputs.) >> >> For example this is necessary when a library needs headers = of >> another library to compile, or needs another shared library= to >> be linked alongside itself when a program wants to link to = it. > I think it's a good improvement! This is a big obstacle for new > packagers. > > It may be worth linking between the sections about propagated-inputs an= d > the python-build-system, since the situation is somewhat different > there. At least in a footnote. +1. And perhaps making reference to scripting languages in general too.