Re: C# support for automake

[Ralf Wildenhues]

Hi Bruno,

Just a few quick remarks from a glance.

* Bruno Haible wrote on Mon, Dec 05, 2005 at 01:02:10PM CET:
> 
> The object code generated from C# source code is platform-dependent.
> Although most (or all?) of the file format of C# libraries and executables
> is platform-independent, C# source code is processed by a preprocessor that
> understands #if conditionals. For this reason we must consider that object
> code generated for, say, x86_64, is different from object code generated for
> i586.
> 
> Object code libraries are files with suffix ".dll". They are installed
> under $prefix/lib.

Is it reasonable to assume that programs will link against these
libraries, which are
- not built in the same package as the dll, or
- which do not contain C# code, and are not built or run with one of the
  tools below?


> Here is the compiler wrapper:
> 
> ====================== build-aux/csharpcomp.sh.in ======================

> func_tmpdir ()
> {
>   # Use the environment variable TMPDIR, falling back to /tmp. This allows
>   # users to specify a different temporary directory, for example, if their
>   # /tmp is filled up or too small.
>   : ${TMPDIR=/tmp}
>   {
>     # Use the mktemp program if available. If not available, hide the error
>     # message.
>     tmp=`(umask 077 && mktemp -d -q "$TMPDIR/gtXXXXXX") 2>/dev/null` &&

Probably a good idea to change `gt' into `cs' or something else a bit
better recognizable.

>     test -n "$tmp" && test -d "$tmp"
>   } ||
>   {
>     # Use a simple mkdir command. It is guaranteed to fail if the directory
>     # already exists.  $RANDOM is bash specific and expands to empty in shells
>     # other than bash, ksh and zsh.  Its use does not increase security;
>     # rather, it minimizes the probability of failure in a very cluttered /tmp
>     # directory.
>     tmp=$TMPDIR/gt$$-$RANDOM

Ditto.

>     (umask 077 && mkdir "$tmp")
>   } ||
>   {
>     echo "$0: cannot create a temporary directory in $TMPDIR" >&2
>     { (exit 1); exit 1; }
>   }
> }



> sed_quote_subst='s/\([|&;<>()$`"'"'"'*?[#~=%  \\]\)/\\\1/g'

If you encounter options with backslashes frequently (even on non-w32
hosts), you may want to parameterize use of echo.  Probably nowadays
one of `echo', `print -r -' or `printf %s\n' will do.

> options_cscc=
> options_mcs=
> options_csc="-nologo"
> sources=
> while test $# != 0; do

I'd use `-ne' here.

>   case "$1" in

No quotes necessary here.

>     -o)
>       case "$2" in

Ditto.

>         *.dll)
>           options_cscc="$options_cscc -shared"
>           options_mcs="$options_mcs -target:library"
>           options_csc="$options_csc -target:library"
>           ;;
>         *.exe)
>           options_csc="$options_csc -target:exe"
>           ;;
*snip*

> Proposed actions in Makefile.in
> ===============================

> 1) For the library:
>   - Target "all" should depend on foobar.dll.
>   - A target foobar.dll should be added:
> 
>       foobar.dll : module1.cs module2.cs libres.resources
>                $(CSHARPCOMP) $(CSHARPCOMPFLAGS) -o $@ $(srcdir)/module1.cs 
> $(srcdir)/module2.cs $(srcdir)/libres.resources

You'd probably also want AM_CSHARPCOMPFLAGS, for consistency
(and to allow the package author to set options).

>   - Target "clean" should remove foobar.dll.
>   - Target "install" should install foobar.dll into $(libdir), using
>     $(INSTALL_DATA).

May any post-install action be necessary for the library (on some hosts)?
How does the installed program find its libraries?
How the uninstalled?

>   - Target "uninstall" and "installdirs" accordingly.
> 
> 2) For the executable.
>   - Target "all" should depend on proggie.exe.
>   - A target "proggie.exe" should be added:
> 
>       proggie.exe : main1.cs main2.cs mainres.resources foobar.dll
>                $(CSHARPCOMP) $(CSHARPCOMPFLAGS) -o $@ $(srcdir)/main1.cs 
> $(srcdir)/main2.cs $(srcdir)/mainres.resources -lfoobar
>   - Target "clean" should remove proggie.exe.
>   - Target "install" should install proggie.exe into $(bindir), using
>     $(INSTALL_DATA). (Not using $(INSTALL_PROGRAM), because INSTALL_PROGRAM
>     sometimes contains an "-s" options, instructing 'install' to invoke
>     'strip' - which does not make sense here.)
>     Optionally (or always?), on platforms where $EXEEXT is not ".exe",
>     also install a script 'foobar' into the same directory, using
>     $(INSTALL_SCRIPT), that invokes proggie.exe via the interpreter found
>     by AM_CSHARPEXEC_OPTIONAL.

Should the proggie script also be created for the uninstalled
executable?

Cheers,
Ralf