[Python-Dev] Dodgy code in distutils/sysconfig.py

[Jack Jansen]

On Tuesday, July 9, 2002, at 04:37 , Michael Hudson wrote:

> Why isn't it just
>
> ,-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> | # python_build: (Boolean) if true, we're either building Python or
> | # building an extension with an un-installed Python, so we use
> | # different (hard-wired) directories.
> |
> | argv0_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.executable))
> | landmark = os.path.join(argv0_path, "Modules", "Setup")
> |
> | python_build = os.path.isfile(landmark):
> |
> | del argv0_path, landmark
> `-----------------------------------------------------------------------

This won't work for one of the standard use cases: having multiple 
"build" subdirectories of the source directory (where you build for 
different platforms or some such).

And on the other question: as of a week ago setup.py is also being used 
to build at least some of the MacPython extension modules. But as for 
MacPython the build tree and the install tree are one and the same there 
is no problem.

And as to a general solution to the problem: how about parsing the 
Makefile that sits beside the interpreter? In all use cases (I think 
also in your example of build directories very far away over the hills) 
the Makefile will sit in the same directory as the interpreter. And the 
Makefile will have the srcdir variable that points to the source 
directory. And we have a makefile parser in distutils.
--
- Jack Jansen        <Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com>        
http://www.cwi.nl/~jack -
- If I can't dance I don't want to be part of your revolution -- Emma 
Goldman -