# from Marvin Humphrey
# on Sunday 08 October 2006 11:31 pm:
>> An automatic error during "./Build dist" is the strong remedy.
>To follow the automagic-add approach out ad absurdum, should it ?
>automatically detect that you need other things besides CBuilder?
Maybe. But, we're talking about compilers. And, given that it
currently only knows how to operate a C compiler, that's probably going
to be some sort of build_requires entry anyway. As for "other things",
this is something that *Module::Build* needs, which is a rather finite
list (the infinite set of possibilities stems from the requirements of
your custom build class and presumably declared as such.)
BTW, how does "add an automagic dependency" differ from your prior
request for "a stiff slap on the hand" WRT ad absurdum? I'll wager you
a tray of pitchers that C, XS, and CPP covers about 98% of the "needs
compilin'" code on cpan (maybe excluding that which has an explicit
dependency on /^Inline::/.) Given that those in the minority typically
have had to struggle quite a lot to get that far, they can probably
figure out how to finagle the dependencies. Also, taking into account
the long-tail nature of lisp-based extensions vs smalltalk-based ones,
maybe this crowd can't benefit all that much from any assistance and/or
discipline dispensed by MB.
>?And no matter how
> elaborate the guessing apparatus, it'll guess wrong some of the
> time... so there will have to be an override mechanism.
Quite true. And the same will be required to disable that annoying
incorrectly-placed-but-well-meant slap on the hand.
>>> Answer: Module::Build should provide some mechanism for the
>>> author to declare "yes, I know I have XS files, but the build
>>> doesn't absolutely require a compiler.
In Base.pm:
sub ACTION_distmeta {
my ($self) = @_;
+ $self->_check_implicit_deps;
$self->do_create_makefile_pl if $self->create_makefile_pl;
...
# name this whatever you like
sub _check_implicit_deps {
my $self = shift;
# just use the same condition as check_prereq
if($self->find_xs_files) {
unless(
eval { $self->does_not_require_compiler } or
defined($self->build_requires('ExtUtils::CBuilder'))
) {
$self->build_requires('ExtUtils::CBuilder' => 0.18)
}
}
} # end sub
And in your build class:
use constant {does_not_require_compiler => 1};
Caveats:
* for clarity, should that be does_not_require_cbuilder() ?
I'm sure there's a handier way to do that that doesn't require you to
subclass, but we're really only talking about Adam here, right? (JK
Adam.) Point is, by the time you're providing pure-perl or
pre-compiled code as an alternative to XS, you've probably already got
your own build class started.
And, remember that the overall goal here ("here" being somewhere in
Beaverton, though I hope the sister cities are roughly aligned) is to
"do the right thing" often enough to eliminate "Module::Build ate my
afternoon/computer" e-mail from the list while not getting in the
author's way without a good reason.
Finally, if "slap me on the hand" is really the right thing to do, the
only difference is:
- $self->build_requires('ExtUtils::CBuilder' => 0.18)
+ die("Bad author! Your poor users need a compiler.");
--Eric
--
You can't whack a chisel without a big wooden mallet.
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