diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/guix.texi | 226 |
1 files changed, 183 insertions, 43 deletions
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index b49825fc1d..863fce8307 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -1301,6 +1301,7 @@ package definitions. @menu * Defining Packages:: Defining new packages. +* Build Systems:: Specifying how packages are built. * The Store:: Manipulating the package store. * Derivations:: Low-level interface to package derivations. * The Store Monad:: Purely functional interface to the store. @@ -1332,9 +1333,10 @@ package looks like this: (sha256 (base32 "0wqd8sjmxfskrflaxywc7gqw7sfawrfvdxd9skxawzfgyy0pzdz6")))) (build-system gnu-build-system) + (arguments `(#:configure-flags '("--enable-silent-rules"))) (inputs `(("gawk" ,gawk))) - (synopsis "GNU Hello") - (description "Yeah...") + (synopsis "Hello, GNU world: An example GNU package") + (description "Guess what GNU Hello prints!") (home-page "http://www.gnu.org/software/hello/") (license gpl3+))) @end example @@ -1379,22 +1381,17 @@ Scheme expression to modify the source code. @item @cindex GNU Build System -The @code{build-system} field is set to @var{gnu-build-system}. The -@var{gnu-build-system} variable is defined in the @code{(guix -build-system gnu)} module, and is bound to a @code{<build-system>} -object. - -Naturally, @var{gnu-build-system} represents the familiar GNU Build -System, and variants thereof (@pxref{Configuration, configuration and -makefile conventions,, standards, GNU Coding Standards}). In a -nutshell, packages using the GNU Build System may be configured, built, -and installed with the usual @code{./configure && make && make check && -make install} command sequence. This is what @var{gnu-build-system} -does. - -In addition, @var{gnu-build-system} ensures that the ``standard'' -environment for GNU packages is available. This includes tools such as -GCC, Coreutils, Bash, Make, Diffutils, and Patch. +The @code{build-system} field specifies the procedure to build the +package (@pxref{Build Systems}). Here, @var{gnu-build-system} +represents the familiar GNU Build System, where packages may be +configured, built, and installed with the usual @code{./configure && +make && make check && make install} command sequence. + +@item +The @code{arguments} field specifies options for the build system +(@pxref{Build Systems}). Here it is interpreted by +@var{gnu-build-system} as a request run @file{configure} with the +@code{--enable-silent-rules} flag. @item The @code{inputs} field specifies inputs to the build process---i.e., @@ -1404,40 +1401,23 @@ variable; @var{gawk} is itself bound to a @code{<package>} object. Note that GCC, Coreutils, Bash, and other essential tools do not need to be specified as inputs here. Instead, @var{gnu-build-system} takes care -of ensuring that they are present. +of ensuring that they are present (@pxref{Build Systems}). However, any other dependencies need to be specified in the @code{inputs} field. Any dependency not specified here will simply be unavailable to the build process, possibly leading to a build failure. @end itemize -There are other fields that package definitions may provide. Of -particular interest is the @code{arguments} field. When specified, it -must be bound to a list of additional arguments to be passed to the -build system. For instance, the above definition could be augmented -with the following field initializer: - -@example - (arguments `(#:tests? #f - #:configure-flags '("--enable-silent-rules"))) -@end example - -@noindent -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''. 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 Nixpkgs distribution using the @command{guix import} command.}, the package may actually be built using the @code{guix build} command-line -tool (@pxref{Invoking guix build}). Eventually, updating the package -definition to a new upstream version can be partly automated by the -@command{guix refresh} command (@pxref{Invoking guix refresh}). +tool (@pxref{Invoking guix build}). @xref{Packaging Guidelines}, for +more information on how to test package definitions. + +Eventually, updating the package definition to a new upstream version +can be partly automated by the @command{guix refresh} command +(@pxref{Invoking guix refresh}). Behind the scenes, a derivation corresponding to the @code{<package>} object is first computed by the @code{package-derivation} procedure. @@ -1473,6 +1453,164 @@ Configure and Build System}). @end deffn +@node Build Systems +@section Build Systems + +@cindex build system +Each package definition specifies a @dfn{build system} and arguments for +that build system (@pxref{Defining Packages}). This @code{build-system} +field represents the build procedure of the package, as well implicit +dependencies of that build procedure. + +Build systems are @code{<build-system>} objects. The interface to +create and manipulate them is provided by the @code{(guix build-system)} +module, and actual build systems are exported by specific modules. + +Build systems accept an optional list of @dfn{arguments}. In package +definitions, these are passed @i{via} the @code{arguments} field +(@pxref{Defining Packages}). They are typically keyword arguments +(@pxref{Optional Arguments, keyword arguments in Guile,, guile, GNU +Guile Reference Manual}). The value of these arguments is usually +evaluated in the @dfn{build stratum}---i.e., by a Guile process launched +by the daemon (@pxref{Derivations}). + +The main build system is @var{gnu-build-system}, which implements the +standard build procedure for GNU packages and many other packages. It +is provided by the @code{(guix build-system gnu)} module. + +@defvr {Scheme Variable} gnu-build-system +@var{gnu-build-system} represents the GNU Build System, and variants +thereof (@pxref{Configuration, configuration and makefile conventions,, +standards, GNU Coding Standards}). + +@cindex build phases +In a nutshell, packages using it configured, built, and installed with +the usual @code{./configure && make && make check && make install} +command sequence. In practice, a few additional steps are often needed. +All these steps are split up in separate @dfn{phases}, +notably@footnote{Please see the @code{(guix build gnu-build-system)} +modules for more details about the build phases.}: + +@table @code +@item unpack +Unpack the source tarball, and change the current directory to the +extracted source tree. If the source is actually a directory, copy it +to the build tree, and enter that directory. + +@item patch-source-shebangs +Patch shebangs encountered in source files so they refer to the right +store file names. For instance, this changes @code{#!/bin/sh} to +@code{#!/gnu/store/@dots{}-bash-4.3/bin/sh}. + +@item configure +Run the @file{configure} script with a number of default options, such +as @code{--prefix=/gnu/store/@dots{}}, as well as the options specified +by the @code{#:configure-flags} argument. + +@item build +Run @code{make} with the list of flags specified with +@code{#:make-flags}. If the @code{#:parallel-builds?} argument is true +(the default), build with @code{make -j}. + +@item check +Run @code{make check}, or some other target specified with +@code{#:test-target}, unless @code{#:tests? #f} is passed. If the +@code{#:parallel-tests?} argument is true (the default), run @code{make +check -j}. + +@item install +Run @code{make install} with the flags listed in @code{#:make-flags}. + +@item patch-shebangs +Patch shebangs on the installed executable files. + +@item strip +Strip debugging symbols from ELF files (unless @code{#:strip-binaries?} +is false), copying them to the @code{debug} output when available +(@pxref{Installing Debugging Files}). +@end table + +@vindex %standard-phases +The build-side module @code{(guix build gnu-build-system)} defines +@var{%standard-phases} as the default list of build phases. +@var{%standard-phases} is a list of symbol/procedure pairs, where the +procedure implements the actual phase. + +The list of phases used for a particular package can be changed with the +@code{#:phases} parameter. For instance, passing: + +@example +#:phases (alist-delete 'configure %standard-phases) +@end example + +means that all the phases described above will be used, expect the +@code{configure} phase. + +In addition, this build system ensures that the ``standard'' environment +for GNU packages is available. This includes tools such as GCC, libc, +Coreutils, Bash, Make, Diffutils, grep, and sed (see the @code{(guix +build-system gnu)} module for a complete list.) We call these the +@dfn{implicit inputs} of a package, because package definitions don't +have to mention them. +@end defvr + +Other @code{<build-system>} objects are defined to support other +conventions and tools used by free software packages. They inherit most +of @var{gnu-build-system}, and differ mainly in the set of inputs +implicitly added to the build process, and in the list of phases +executed. Some of these build systems are listed below. + +@defvr {Scheme Variable} cmake-build-system +This variable is exported by @code{(guix build-system cmake)}. It +implements the build procedure for packages using the +@url{http://www.cmake.org, CMake build tool}. + +It automatically adds the @code{cmake} package to the set of inputs. +Which package is used can be specified with the @code{#:cmake} +parameter. +@end defvr + +@defvr {Scheme Variable} python-build-system +This variable is exported by @code{(guix build-system python)}. It +implements the more or less standard build procedure used by Python +packages, which consists in running @code{python setup.py build} and +then @code{python setup.py install --prefix=/gnu/store/@dots{}}. + +For packages that install stand-alone Python programs under @code{bin/}, +it takes care of wrapping these programs so their @code{PYTHONPATH} +environment variable points to all the Python libraries they depend on. + +Which Python package is used can be specified with the @code{#:python} +parameter. +@end defvr + +@defvr {Scheme Variable} perl-build-system +This variable is exported by @code{(guix build-system perl)}. It +implements the standard build procedure for Perl packages, which +consists in running @code{perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=/gnu/store/@dots{}}, +followed by @code{make} and @code{make install}. + +The initial @code{perl Makefile.PL} invocation passes flags specified by +the @code{#:make-maker-flags} parameter. + +Which Perl package is used can be specified with @code{#:perl}. +@end defvr + + +Lastly, for packages that do not need anything as sophisticated, a +``trivial'' build system is provided. It is trivial in the sense that +it provides basically no support: it does not pull any implicit inputs, +and does not have a notion of build phases. + +@defvr {Scheme Variable} trivial-build-system +This variable is exported by @code{(guix build-system trivial)}. + +This build system requires a @code{#:builder} argument. This argument +must be a Scheme expression that builds the package's output(s)---as +with @code{build-expression->derivation} (@pxref{Derivations, +@code{build-expression->derivation}}). +@end defvr + @node The Store @section The Store @@ -2398,7 +2536,9 @@ called @code{gnew}, you may run this command from the Guix build tree: @end example Using @code{--keep-failed} makes it easier to debug build failures since -it provides access to the failed build tree. +it provides access to the failed build tree. Another useful +command-line option when debugging is @code{--log-file}, to access the +build log. If the package is unknown to the @command{guix} command, it may be that the source file contains a syntax error, or lacks a @code{define-public} |