[Distutils] Patch for build_ext.py (Win32)

[Greg Ward]

On 12 April 2000, Lyle Johnson said:
> Here's a patch for distutils/command/build_ext.py to ensure that the output
> directory for scratch files created while building the extension DLL
> actually exists.

No, it's the job of the CCompiler classes to ensure that the files they
are about to write can be written, ie. that os.path.dirname(output_file)
exists before running the compile/link/whatever that attempts to create
output_file.

In fact, if you look in msvccompiler.py, in the 'link_shared_object()'
method, you see it being done:

        if self._need_link (objects, output_filename):

            if debug:
                ldflags = self.ldflags_shared_debug
            else:
                ldflags = self.ldflags_shared

            ld_args = ldflags + lib_opts + \
                      objects + ['/OUT:' + output_filename]

            if extra_preargs:
                ld_args[:0] = extra_preargs
            if extra_postargs:
                ld_args.extend (extra_postargs)

  >>>>      self.mkpath (os.path.dirname (output_filename))  <<<<<<
            self.spawn ([self.link] + ld_args)

        else:
            self.announce ("skipping %s (up-to-date)" % output_filename)

So something must be going wrong with that 'mkpath()' call.  Try
applying *this* patch and see if it sheds any light on the matter:

*** msvccompiler.py     2000/03/31 19:04:25     1.25
--- msvccompiler.py     2000/04/14 00:45:43
***************
*** 360,365 ****
--- 360,368 ----
              if extra_postargs:
                  ld_args.extend (extra_postargs)
  
+             print "link_shared_object():"
+             print "  output_filename =", output_filename
+             print "  mkpath'ing:", os.path.dirname (output_filename)
              self.mkpath (os.path.dirname (output_filename))
              self.spawn ([self.link] + ld_args)
  

Let me know if you figure out what's going on.

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - Unix bigot                                  gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
I want to so HAPPY, the VEINS in my neck STAND OUT!!