[cmake-developers] [Discussion] Add python support for CMakeLists

[Shmuel H,]

Maybe we could combine them together: the configuration process would be
separated into two stages:

   1. Script stage: Look for and run build script, that will generate a
   [JSON] configuration file.
   2. Look for a configuration file, and generate build files according to
   it.

Then, a programmer should decide if he need to use the script stage. If
not, he would be able to edit it all with its favorite IDE. If he need the
script stage, he would not be able to edit it with a automatic tools.

I think we should make the configuration files as simple as we can (`cbp`
files are not a good example for a simple file): usable defaults for
fields, etc.

Adding named condition \ variables would serve only a part of developers
needs (for example, choosing source files according to the current OS) but
it would prevent developers from being able to customize their building
with functions (For example, applying a long set of configurations for each
build target to be used as a plugin for an application with a lot of
restrictions).

On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 9:28 PM, Brad King <brad.king at kitware.com> wrote:

> On 01/13/2017 11:45 AM, Shmuel H, wrote:
> > * From the other side, programmers should be able to use a script
> >   language to customize their build process.
> >
> > For example, a simple declaration (pseudo code):
> > cmake_libraries += {
> >                                    ["name":      "myLib",
> >                                     "files":         "myLib.c",
> >                                     "link_type": "static"]
> >                                 }
>
> The declarative part needs to be self-standing so that it can be loaded
> by an IDE, edited by the user, and saved back out in the original format
> with a minimal diff.  An IDE will have no idea how to write snippets back
> into a procedural script.  This is one reason CMakeLists.txt files cannot
> be edited through an IDE except as text files.
>
> My proposal is that the declarative part would have most of the build,
> but with some kind of named condition/config variables.  Then the
> procedural part will introspect the system to determine the values of
> the configuration variables so that CMake can evaluate the conditions.
>
> -Brad
>
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