Re: which package gets built first?

[zimoun <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com>]

Hi,

On Fri, 04 Nov 2022 at 00:34, jgart <jgart@dismail.de> wrote:
> What determines which package gets built first in the following invocation?
>
> `guix build emacs-zig-mode zig`

It depends. :-)  Usually, something like

  guix thing stuff1 stuff2

is processed in that order: stuff2 then stuff1.  Other said, the CLI is
somehow parsed from right to left.  For instance, see bug#43585 [1] or
bug#50473.  Well, compare:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
$ guix package --show=emacs --show=zig | recsel -Cp name
name: zig
name: emacs

$ guix package --show=zig --show=emacs  | recsel -Cp name
name: emacs
name: zig
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

(Note that “guix show” process from left to right since it is how most
of us type and read.)


That’s said, “guix build” is special.  Because it somehow processes the
topological order between stuff1 and stuff2.  Other said, if stuff2
depends on stuff1, then it first builds stuff1 then second stuff2.


1: <http://issues.guix.gnu.org/issue/43585>
2: <http://issues.guix.gnu.org/issue/50473>


Cheers,
simon