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Diffstat (limited to 'doc')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/guix.texi | 139 |
1 files changed, 137 insertions, 2 deletions
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index 29e12456ea..27a00a6ed9 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -730,7 +730,9 @@ These are keyword arguments (@pxref{Optional Arguments, keyword arguments in Guile,, guile, GNU Guile Reference Manual}). They are passed to @var{gnu-build-system}, which interprets them as meaning ``do not run @code{make check}'', and ``run @file{configure} with the -@code{--enable-silent-rules} flag''. +@code{--enable-silent-rules} flag''. The value of these keyword +parameters is actually evaluated in the @dfn{build stratum}---i.e., by a +Guile process launched by the daemon (@pxref{Derivations}). Once a package definition is in place@footnote{Simple package definitions like the one above may be automatically converted from the @@ -809,13 +811,146 @@ path. @var{references} is the list of store paths referred to by the resulting store path. @end deffn +@deffn {Scheme Procedure} build-derivations @var{server} @var{derivations} +Build @var{derivations} (a list of derivation paths), and return when +the worker is done building them. Return @code{#t} on success. +@end deffn + @c FIXME @i{This section is currently incomplete.} @node Derivations @section Derivations -@code{(guix derivations)} +@cindex derivations +Low-level build actions and the environment in which they are performed +are represented by @dfn{derivations}. A derivation contain the +following pieces of information: + +@itemize +@item +The outputs of the derivation---derivations produce at least one file or +directory in the store, but may produce more. + +@item +The inputs of the derivations, which may be other derivations or plain +files in the store (patches, build scripts, etc.) + +@item +The system type targeted by the derivation---e.g., @code{x86_64-linux}. + +@item +The file name of a build script in the store, along with the arguments +to be passed. + +@item +A list of environment variables to be defined. + +@end itemize + +@cindex derivation path +Derivations allow clients of the daemon to communicate build actions to +the store. They exist in two forms: as an in-memory representation, +both on the client- and daemon-side, and as files in the store whose +name end in @code{.drv}---these files are referred to as @dfn{derivation +paths}. Derivations paths can be passed to the @code{build-derivations} +procedure to perform the build actions they prescribe (@pxref{The +Store}). + +The @code{(guix derivations)} module provides a representation of +derivations as Scheme objects, along with procedures to create and +otherwise manipulate derivations. The lowest-level primitive to create +a derivation is the @code{derivation} procedure: + +@deffn {Scheme Procedure} derivation @var{store} @var{name} @var{system} @var{builder} @var{args} @var{env-vars} @var{inputs} [#:outputs '("out")] [#:hash #f] [#:hash-algo #f] [#:hash-mode #f] +Build a derivation with the given arguments. Return the resulting store +path and @code{<derivation>} object. + +When @var{hash}, @var{hash-algo}, and @var{hash-mode} are given, a +@dfn{fixed-output derivation} is created---i.e., one whose result is +known in advance, such as a file download. +@end deffn + +@noindent +Here's an example with a shell script as its builder, assuming +@var{store} is an open connection to the daemon, and @var{bash} points +to a Bash executable in the store: + +@lisp +(use-modules (guix utils) + (guix store) + (guix derivations)) + +(call-with-values + (lambda () + (let ((builder ; add the Bash script to the store + (add-text-to-store store "my-builder.sh" + "echo hello world > $out\n" '()))) + (derivation store "foo" (%current-system) + bash `("-e" ,builder) + '(("HOME" . "/homeless")) '()))) + list) +@result{} ("/nix/store/@dots{}-foo.drv" #<<derivation> @dots{}>) +@end lisp + +As can be guessed, this primitive is cumbersome to use directly. An +improved variant is @code{build-expression->derivation}, which allows +the caller to directly pass a Guile expression as the build script: + +@deffn {Scheme Procedure} build-expression->derivation @var{store} @var{name} @var{system} @var{exp} @var{inputs} [#:outputs '("out")] [#:hash #f] [#:hash-algo #f] [#:env-vars '()] [#:modules '()] [#:guile-for-build #f] +Return a derivation that executes Scheme expression @var{exp} as a +builder for derivation @var{name}. @var{inputs} must be a list of +@code{(name drv-path sub-drv)} tuples; when @var{sub-drv} is omitted, +@code{"out"} is assumed. @var{modules} is a list of names of Guile +modules from the current search path to be copied in the store, +compiled, and made available in the load path during the execution of +@var{exp}---e.g., @code{((guix build utils) (guix build +gnu-build-system))}. + +@var{exp} is evaluated in an environment where @code{%outputs} is bound +to a list of output/path pairs, and where @code{%build-inputs} is bound +to a list of string/output-path pairs made from @var{inputs}. +Optionally, @var{env-vars} is a list of string pairs specifying the name +and value of environment variables visible to the builder. The builder +terminates by passing the result of @var{exp} to @code{exit}; thus, when +@var{exp} returns @code{#f}, the build is considered to have failed. + +@var{exp} is built using @var{guile-for-build} (a derivation). When +@var{guile-for-build} is omitted or is @code{#f}, the value of the +@code{%guile-for-build} fluid is used instead. +@end deffn + +@noindent +Here's an example of a single-output derivation that creates a directory +containing one file: + +@lisp +(let ((builder '(let ((out (assoc-ref %outputs "out"))) + (mkdir out) ; create /nix/store/@dots{}-goo + (call-with-output-file (string-append out "/test") + (lambda (p) + (display '(hello guix) p)))))) + (build-expression->derivation store "goo" (%current-system) + builder '())) + +@result{} "/nix/store/@dots{}-goo.drv" +@result{} #<<derivation> @dots{}> +@end lisp + +@cindex strata of code +Remember that the build expression passed to +@code{build-expression->derivation} is run by a separate Guile process +than the one that calls @code{build-expression->derivation}: it is run +by a Guile process launched by the daemon, typically in a chroot. So, +while there is a single language for both the @dfn{host} and the build +side, there are really two @dfn{strata} of code: the host-side, and the +build-side code@footnote{The term @dfn{stratum} in this context was +coined by Manuel Serrano et al. in the context of their work on Hop.}. +This distinction is important to keep in mind, notably when using +higher-level constructs such as @var{gnu-build-system} (@pxref{Defining +Packages}). For this reason, Guix modules that are meant to be used in +the build stratum are kept in the @code{(guix build @dots{})} name +space. @c ********************************************************************* @node Utilities |