Re: Turning off tests leads to a different store item

[Simon Tournier <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com>]

Hi,

On Wed, 8 Nov 2023 at 20:20, Saku Laesvuori <saku@laesvuori.fi> wrote:

> There is another way: simply preventing the tests from changing the
> resulting store item. For example, the package could first be built
> without tests and then that build tree could be copied to the build tree
> of the build with tests enabled.

Somehow, the store would need to keep all the build intermediary
artifacts produced, right?  For instance, consider the extreme case
where the build phase produces .o artifact files and the tests for
whatever reasons relies on these temporary artifacts.

Well, we had a quick chat with Josselin and Andreas about separating
the tests at https://hpc.guix.info/events/2023/workshop/program/
And my understanding of the rough conclusion we had: it is not easy
and the evil are in all the details.  For example autotools: somehow
"make check" is connected in one way or the other to "make" and/or
"make install".  Somehow, the complete build tree (with intermediary
artifacts as .o) should keep in the store.

From a pragmatical point of view, there is packages where the tests
cannot be totally separated from from the temporary build, therefore
the question seems: how do these cases compare to the other regular
cases?  What is the ratio?  Is the rule about many corner cases
without a clear "regular"?  Or are they just few corner cases?

Cheers,
simon