[GRASS-dev] [GRASS GIS] #1758: Disabling python support does not prevent entry into python directories during build

[GRASS GIS]

#1758: Disabling python support does not prevent entry into python directories
during build
------------------------+---------------------------------------------------
  Reporter:  brook      |       Owner:  grass-dev@…                   
      Type:  defect     |      Status:  reopened                      
  Priority:  minor      |   Milestone:  7.0.0                         
 Component:  Compiling  |     Version:  6.4.2                         
Resolution:             |    Keywords:  python, wxgui, g.gui.* modules
  Platform:  All        |         Cpu:  Unspecified                   
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Changes (by wenzeslaus):

  * keywords:  python, wxgui => python, wxgui, g.gui.* modules
  * priority:  major => minor
  * milestone:  6.4.3 => 7.0.0


Comment:

 Replying to [comment:9 glynn]:
 > Replying to [comment:6 hamish]:
 >
 > > Is the goal to build on a system without any python on it, to build on
 a system without wxWidgets on it, or to just not build the wxGUI?
 >
 > --with-python and --with-wxwidgets tell the configure script to check
 for Python/wxWidgets compilation/linking switches. These are only
 necessary if you're building binary modules (programs or shared libraries)
 which link against the Python or wx libraries (do any of these still
 exist? 7.0 has visualisation/wximgview, but that's largely obsoleted by
 scripts/wxpyimgview).
 >

 So, would it make sense to introduce flags for building without GUI? In
 case of GRASS, this seems reasonable. In this case, the question also is
 how the documentation should look like if the would be no GUI (e.g.
 considering #645 and #1203).

 The `--without-python` option always looked like that Python (interpreter)
 will not be used. But Python (interpreter) is build requirement, right? It
 seems that this is not reflected in source:grass/trunk/REQUIREMENTS.html.

 > Note that neither switch is enabled by default, so there's no point in
 using --without-python or --without-wxwidgets.
 >

 I like to do things explicit in cases when it is not clear to me what is
 default. Is there any problem with using `--without-...`?

 > If you enable the checks and they fail, configure will fail.
 >
 > > If it's just to avoid building with the wxGUI it's not really a
 problem, since most of it is not really built, just copied in place and
 then left unused.
 >
 > Any Python modules and the wxGUI should be "built" regardless of whether
 Python and/or wxWidgets are installed on the build system.

 This is no longer true because the `g.gui.*` modules needs to generate
 their interface and they begin with import of wxPython related things. Is
 this a problem? I.e. is building of wxGUI without wxPython present a
 requirement?

 If yes, we can hopefully rewrite `g.gui.*` modules, `menustrings.py` and
 toolboxes generation to be able to generate interface, files for
 translations and toolbox files without any importing, but I'm afraid how
 the code will look like.

 What is the status of this thicket for trunk? E.g., there is no `--with-
 python`.

 {{{
 $ ./configure --help | grep -i python
 $ ./configure --help | grep -i wx
   --with-wxwidgets[=path/wx-config]
                           enable wxWidgets support (wx-config with path,
                           e.g. '--with-wxwidgets=/usr/local/bin/wx-
 config',
 }}}

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/ticket/1758#comment:10>
GRASS GIS <http://grass.osgeo.org>