To: gnu-arch-users@gnu.org
Subject: Re: [Gnu-arch-users] What's the rationale behind the
	cmd-build-config.c restrictions?
References: <87zmyu50ym.fsf@trouble.defaultvalue.org>
	<87mzut5l5k.fsf@flame.org>
From: Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 10:52:06 -0600
In-Reply-To: <87mzut5l5k.fsf@flame.org> (Matthew Dempsky's message of "Fri,
	28 Jan 2005 14:55:03 -0600")
Message-ID: <87oef6zwp5.fsf@trouble.defaultvalue.org>
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Matthew Dempsky <jivera@flame.org> writes:

> Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org> writes:

>> What's the rationale behind these restrictions?
>
> Mostly it's because the config is built relative to the tree root.  I
> suppose you could add a -d option (or something) for where the tree
> root should be located instead, and then it's no longer necessary to
> be in an arch tree.

It sounds like this may not be what you're suggesting, but ideally,
what I'd like is the ability for the location (and tree) of a config
file to be completely independent of the location(s) where the config
might be instantiated (built).

For example, I'd like to be able to have a category containing configs
that I can use to build a given config *anywhere* in my filesystem,
i.e.:

  $ rm -rf SOMEWHERE/configsdir
  $ tla get CONFIGS SOMEWHERE/configsdir

  $ rm -rf SOMEWHERE-ELSE && mkdir -p SOMEWHERE-ELSE/foo
  $ cd SOMEWHERE-ELSE/foo
  $ tla build-config SOMEWHERE/configsdir/foo-1.0

  $ ls
  foo-1.0  (or perhaps just ./src ./doc, etc., depending on what I want)

Note that SOMEWHERE-ELSE/foo is *not* an arch dir, and I would like
for the checked out configs branch to end up having no relationship
with the resulting built config dir in SOMEWHERE-ELSE/foo/foo-1.0/.
The configs branch file SOMEWHERE/configsdir/foo-1.0 should only be
used to provide the list of items to "tla get".

Basically, I would like for build-config to be a smarter, more
convenient way to do something like:

  for LINE in CONFIG-FILE
    tla get (first-item LINE) (second-item LINE)

without caring what directory I'm in when I run build-config, or where
CONFIG-FILE is located.  (i.e. CONFIG-FILE might be specified by an
absolute path, a relative path, or even a process substitution like
bash's <(...)).  I'd even like to be able to echo some lines to a temp
file and pass that to build-config.

Of course, there may be good reasons for not allowing some or all of
this, which is why I raised the original question.

Thanks  
-- 
Rob Browning
rlb @defaultvalue.org and @debian.org; previously @cs.utexas.edu
GPG starting 2002-11-03 = 14DD 432F AE39 534D B592  F9A0 25C8 D377 8C7E 73A4


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