path: root/tools/build/v2/doc/src/faq.xml

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<chapter id="bbv2.faq">
  <title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.featurevalue">
    <title>
      How do I get the current value of feature in Jamfile?
    </title>

    <para>
      This is not possible, since Jamfile does not have "current" value of any
      feature, be it toolset, build variant or anything else. For a single
      run of Boost.Build, any given main target can be
      built with several property sets. For example, user can request two build
      variants on the command line. Or one library is built as shared when used
      from one application, and as static when used from another. Each Jamfile
      is read only once so generally there is no single value of a feature you
      can access in Jamfile.
    </para>

    <para>
      A feature has a specific value only when building a target, and there are
      two ways you can use that value:
    </para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <simpara>
          Use conditional requirements or indirect conditional requirements. See
          <xref linkend="bbv2.overview.targets.requirements.conditional"/>.
        </simpara>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        Define a custom generator and a custom main target type. The custom
        generator can do arbitrary processing or properties. See the <xref
        linkend="bbv2.extender">extender manual</xref>.
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.duplicate">
    <title>
      I am getting a "Duplicate name of actual target" error. What does that
      mean?
    </title>

    <para>
      The most likely case is that you are trying to compile the same file
      twice, with almost the same, but differing properties. For example:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
exe b : a.cpp ;
</programlisting>
    </para>

    <para>
      The above snippet requires two different compilations of
      <code>a.cpp</code>, which differ only in their <literal>include</literal>
      property. Since the <literal>include</literal> feature is declared as
      <literal>free</literal> Boost.Build does not create a separate build
      directory for each of its values and those two builds would both produce
      object files generated in the same build directory. Ignoring this and
      compiling the file only once would be dangerous as different includes
      could potentially cause completely different code to be compiled.
    </para>

    <para>
      To solve this issue, you need to decide if the file should be compiled
      once or twice.
    </para>

    <orderedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          To compile the file only once, make sure that properties are the same
          for both target requests:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
exe b : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
</programlisting>
          or:
<programlisting>
alias a-with-include : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
exe a : a-with-include ;
exe b : a-with-include ;
</programlisting>
          or if you want the <literal>includes</literal> property not to affect
          how any other sources added for the built <code>a</code> and
          <code>b</code> executables would be compiled:
<programlisting>
obj a-obj : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
exe a : a-obj ;
exe b : a-obj ;
</programlisting>
        </para>
        <para>
          Note that in both of these cases the <literal>include</literal>
          property will be applied only for building these object files and not
          any other sources that might be added for targets <code>a</code> and
          <code>b</code>.
        </para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>
          To compile the file twice, you can tell Boost.Build to compile it to
          two separate object files like so:
<programlisting>
      obj a_obj : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ;
      obj b_obj : a.cpp ;
      exe a : a_obj ;
      exe b : b_obj ;
</programlisting>
          or you can make the object file targets local to the main target:
<programlisting>
      exe a : [ obj a_obj : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;/usr/local/include ] ;
      exe b : [ obj a_obj : a.cpp ] ;
</programlisting>
          which will cause Boost.Build to actually change the generated object
          file names a bit for you and thus avoid any conflicts.
        </para>
        <para>
          Note that in both of these cases the <literal>include</literal>
          property will be applied only for building these object files and not
          any other sources that might be added for targets <code>a</code> and
          <code>b</code>.
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </orderedlist>

    <para>
      A good question is why Boost.Build can not use some of the above
      approaches automatically. The problem is that such magic would only help
      in half of the cases, while in the other half it would be silently doing
      the wrong thing. It is simpler and safer to ask the user to clarify his
      intention in such cases.
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.envar">
    <title>
      Accessing environment variables
    </title>

    <para>
      Many users would like to use environment variables in Jamfiles, for
      example, to control the location of external libraries. In many cases it
      is better to declare those external libraries in the site-config.jam file,
      as documented in the <link linkend="bbv2.recipies.site-config">recipes
      section</link>. However, if the users already have the environment
      variables set up, it may not be convenient for them to set up their
      site-config.jam files as well and using the environment variables might be
      reasonable.
    </para>

    <para>
      Boost.Jam automatically imports all environment variables into its
      built-in .ENVIRON module so user can read them from there directly or by
      using the helper os.environ rule. For example:
<programlisting>
import os ;
local unga-unga = [ os.environ UNGA_UNGA ] ;
ECHO $(unga-unga) ;
</programlisting>
      or a bit more realistic:
<programlisting>
import os ;
local SOME_LIBRARY_PATH = [ os.environ SOME_LIBRARY_PATH ] ;
exe a : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;$(SOME_LIBRARY_PATH) ;
</programlisting>
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.proporder">
    <title>
      How to control properties order?
    </title>

    <para>
      For internal reasons, Boost.Build sorts all the properties alphabetically.
      This means that if you write:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;b &lt;include&gt;a ;
</programlisting>
      then the command line with first mention the <code>a</code> include
      directory, and then <code>b</code>, even though they are specified in the
      opposite order. In most cases, the user does not care. But sometimes the
      order of includes, or other properties, is important. For such cases, a
      special syntax is provided:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp : &lt;include&gt;a&amp;&amp;b ;
</programlisting>
    </para>

    <para>
      The <code>&amp;&amp;</code> symbols separate property values and specify
      that their order should be preserved. You are advised to use this feature
      only when the order of properties really matters and not as a convenient
      shortcut. Using it everywhere might negatively affect performance.
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.liborder">
    <title>
      How to control the library linking order on Unix?
    </title>

    <para>
      On Unix-like operating systems, the order in which static libraries are
      specified when invoking the linker is important, because by default, the
      linker uses one pass though the libraries list. Passing the libraries in
      the incorrect order will lead to a link error. Further, this behaviour is
      often used to make one library override symbols from another. So,
      sometimes it is necessary to force specific library linking order.
    </para>

    <para>
      Boost.Build tries to automatically compute the right order. The primary
      rule is that if library <code>a</code> "uses" library <code>b</code>, then
      library <code>a</code> will appear on the command line before library
      <code>b</code>. Library <code>a</code> is considered to use <code>b</code>
      if <code>b</code> is present either in the <code>a</code> library's
      sources or its usage is listed in its requirements. To explicitly specify
      the <literal>use</literal> relationship one can use the
      <literal>&lt;use&gt;</literal> feature. For example, both of the following
      lines will cause <code>a</code> to appear before <code>b</code> on the
      command line:
<programlisting>
lib a : a.cpp b ;
lib a : a.cpp : &lt;use&gt;b ;
</programlisting>
    </para>

    <para>
      The same approach works for searched libraries as well:
<programlisting>
lib z ;
lib png : : &lt;use&gt;z ;
exe viewer : viewer png z ;
</programlisting>
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.external">
    <title>
      Can I get capture external program output using a Boost.Jam variable?
    </title>

    <para>
      The <literal>SHELL</literal> builtin rule may be used for this purpose:
<programlisting>
local gtk_includes = [ SHELL "gtk-config --cflags" ] ;
</programlisting>
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.projectroot">
    <title>
      How to get the project root (a.k.a. Jamroot) location?
    </title>

    <para>
      You might want to use your project's root location in your Jamfiles. To
      access it just declare a path constant in your Jamroot.jam file using:
<programlisting>
path-constant TOP : . ;
</programlisting>
      After that, the <code>TOP</code> variable can be used in every Jamfile.
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.flags">
    <title>
      How to change compilation flags for one file?
    </title>

    <para>
      If one file must be compiled with special options, you need to explicitly
      declare an <code>obj</code> target for that file and then use that target
      in your <code>exe</code> or <code>lib</code> target:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp b ;
obj b : b.cpp : &lt;optimization&gt;off ;
</programlisting>
      Of course you can use other properties, for example to specify specific
      C/C++ compiler options:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp b ;
obj b : b.cpp : &lt;cflags&gt;-g ;
</programlisting>
      You can also use <link linkend="bbv2.tutorial.conditions">conditional
      properties</link> for finer control:
<programlisting>
exe a : a.cpp b ;
obj b : b.cpp : &lt;variant&gt;release:&lt;optimization&gt;off ;
</programlisting>
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.dll-path">
    <title>
      Why are the <literal>dll-path</literal> and <literal>hardcode-dll-paths
      </literal> properties useful?
    </title>
    <note>
      <para>
        This entry is specific to Unix systems.
      </para>
    </note>
    <para>
      Before answering the questions, let us recall a few points about shared
      libraries. Shared libraries can be used by several applications, or other
      libraries, without physically including the library in the application
      which can greatly decrease the total application size. It is also possible
      to upgrade a shared library when the application is already installed.
    </para>

    <para>
      However, in order for application depending on shared libraries to be
      started the OS may need to find the shared library when the application is
      started. The dynamic linker will search in a system-defined list of paths,
      load the library and resolve the symbols. Which means that you should
      either change the system-defined list, given by the <envar>LD_LIBRARY_PATH
      </envar> environment variable, or install the libraries to a system
      location. This can be inconvenient when developing, since the libraries
      are not yet ready to be installed, and cluttering system paths may be
      undesirable. Luckily, on Unix there is another way.
    </para>

    <para>
      An executable can include a list of additional library paths, which will
      be searched before system paths. This is excellent for development because
      the build system knows the paths to all libraries and can include them in
      the executables. That is done when the <literal>hardcode-dll-paths
      </literal> feature has the <literal>true</literal> value, which is the
      default. When the executables should be installed, the story is different.
    </para>

    <para>
      Obviously, installed executable should not contain hardcoded paths to your
      development tree. <!-- Make the following parenthised sentence a footer
      note --> (The <literal>install</literal> rule explicitly disables the
      <literal>hardcode-dll-paths</literal> feature for that reason.) However,
      you can use the <literal>dll-path</literal> feature to add explicit paths
      manually. For example:
<programlisting>
install installed : application : &lt;dll-path&gt;/usr/lib/snake
                                  &lt;location&gt;/usr/bin ;
</programlisting>
      will allow the application to find libraries placed in the <filename>
      /usr/lib/snake</filename> directory.
    </para>

    <para>
      If you install libraries to a nonstandard location and add an explicit
      path, you get more control over libraries which will be used. A library of
      the same name in a system location will not be inadvertently used. If you
      install libraries to a system location and do not add any paths, the
      system administrator will have more control. Each library can be
      individually upgraded, and all applications will use the new library.
    </para>

    <para>
      Which approach is best depends on your situation. If the libraries are
      relatively standalone and can be used by third party applications, they
      should be installed in the system location. If you have lots of libraries
      which can be used only by your application, it makes sense to install them
      to a nonstandard directory and add an explicit path, like the example
      above shows. Please also note that guidelines for different systems differ
      in this respect. For example, the Debian GNU guidelines prohibit any
      additional search paths while Solaris guidelines suggest that they should
      always be used.
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.recipies.site-config">
    <title>Targets in site-config.jam</title>

    <para>
      It is desirable to declare standard libraries available on a given system.
      Putting target declaration in a specific project's Jamfile is not really
      good, since locations of the libraries can vary between different
      development machines and then such declarations would need to be
      duplicated in different projects. The solution is to declare the targets
      in Boost.Build's <filename>site-config.jam</filename> configuration file:
<programlisting>
project site-config ;
lib zlib : : &lt;name&gt;z ;
</programlisting>
    </para>

    <para>
      Recall that both <filename>site-config.jam</filename> and
      <filename>user-config.jam</filename> are projects, and everything you can
      do in a Jamfile you can do in those files as well. So, you declare a
      project id and a target. Now, one can write:
<programlisting>
exe hello : hello.cpp /site-config//zlib ;
</programlisting>
      in any Jamfile.
    </para>
  </section>

  <section id="bbv2.faq.header-only-libraries">
    <title>Header-only libraries</title>

    <para>
      In modern C++, libraries often consist of just header files, without any
      source files to compile. To use such libraries, you need to add proper
      includes and possibly defines to your project. But with a large number of
      external libraries it becomes problematic to remember which libraries are
      header only, and which ones you have to link to. However, with Boost.Build
      a header-only library can be declared as Boost.Build target and all
      dependents can use such library without having to remeber whether it is a
      header-only library or not.
    </para>

    <para>
      Header-only libraries may be declared using the <code>alias</code> rule,
      specifying their include path as a part of its usage requirements, for
      example:
<programlisting>
alias my-lib
    : # no sources
    : # no build requirements
    : # no default build
    : &lt;include&gt;whatever ;
</programlisting>
      The includes specified in usage requirements of <code>my-lib</code> are
      automatically added to all of its dependants' build properties. The
      dependants need not care if <code>my-lib</code> is a header-only or not,
      and it is possible to later make <code>my-lib</code> into a regular
      compiled library without having to that its dependants' declarations.
    </para>

    <para>
      If you already have proper usage requirements declared for a project where
      a header-only library is defined, you do not need to duplicate them for
      the <code>alias</code> target:
<programlisting>
project my : usage-requirements &lt;include&gt;whatever ;
alias mylib ;
</programlisting>
    </para>
  </section>
</chapter>

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