PostGIS 3.7.0rc2 released

[Regina Obe]

> From: Greg Troxel <gdt at lexort.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 8:40 AM
> To: Regina Obe <lr at pcorp.us>
> Cc: postgis-users at lists.osgeo.org; 'Darafei \"Komяpa\" Praliaskouski'
> <me at komzpa.net>
> Subject: Re: PostGIS 3.7.0rc2 released
> 
> "Regina Obe" <lr at pcorp.us> writes:
> 
> >> I think I understand better now.
> >>
> >> * details
> >>
> >> rsvg-convert is listed as needed, but configure.ac doesn't look for it.
> >> It does look for convert, but doesn't check that it does what you
> >> need -
> > I'm
> >> unclear on if a working convert always does, or if it's optional.
> >
> > Hmm that shouldn't be needed.  My understanding is that it is
> > preferred but not required if you have ImageMagick or GraphMagick
> > Darafei can you confirm?  I have neither locally.
> 
> "convert" is part of ImageMagick.
> 
> My point is that if the build is maybe going to use rsvg-convert, it should
> probably be checked for by configure and listed in the configure results.  The
> only thing that's obvious here is that the docs build process is too complicated
> and too hard to understand.
> 
> 
> >> * big picture
> >>
> >> Within the "make docs" top-level target there are a lot of subsidiary
> >> docs targets.  Some of them fall into "things a package ought to have
> > installed", and
> >> some seem more obscure.  In packaging, what I want is a way to ask
> >> for the things that belong in a package.  If visual examples require
> >> things that
> > aren't
> >> compatible  with packaging build environments, I'm ok with having
> >> those be off.
> >>
> >> Looking in doc/Makefile I see
> >>
> >>   ifeq ($(CAN_BUILD_COMMENTS),yes)
> >>   BUILD_TARGET += comments
> >>   endif
> >>
> > The comments build doesn't need visual examples.  Are you having
> > trouble building that?
> 
> I am getting an error doing "make docs" from top-level.  The build instructions
> are unclear about what kinds of docs there are.
> 
> > I can revisit that to make sure I didn't screw that up when I made
> > changes to the visual examples thing.
> 
> There seems to be a clear regression with 3.7.0
> 
> > PDF and epub do require visual examples but those should be tested now
> > and should be cleanly erroring if you haven't built the visual examples.
> 
> I ran 'make docs'.  Perhaps the real issue is this concept of a manual build step
> for visual examples.  There should not be any manual build steps!
> 
> > For the most part we haven't been worried too much about docs as long
> > as our CI that packages releases can build them.
> 
> I don't see that as the right approach.  Everything should work, everywhere,
> and the point of CI is to verify that.  Of course CI is incomplete and things slip
> through, but that sounds like "if it builds in our CI, it's not a bug".
> 
> > I think most packagers just use our pre-built docs:
> > Which for this release - https://postgis.net/stuff/postgis-3.7-en.pdf
> > and https://download.osgeo.org/postgis/docs/doc-html-3.7.0rc2.tar.gz
> >
> > Though I realize now I never bothered to link the html ones, probably
> > cause I take it for granted people would just read them online  or use
> > the pdf for offline use which are always listed here for our supported
> > versions - https://postgis.net/documentation/manual/
> 
> I see open-source norms as requiring:
>   - documentation should be part of packages so it's available without
>     the net
>   - built docs are binaries and anyone must be able to build docs from
>     the doc sources
>   - all of this should be encapsulated in a build procedure that does
>     not require manual steps
> 
> > Users I suspect don't care about building docs if they are building
> > for themselves and frankly our build chain especially now that we have
> > translations Is very complicated and has always been complicated
> > (perhaps a bit more so with the introduction of our (lets make sure
> > our docs reflect our changes in the branch) which is why we have this
> > new fangled visual examples build that actually tests our doc examples
> > to generate the images.  I wouldn't want any packager to waste time
> > trying to get all the glue to make that work unless they have a
> > pressing requirement to do so.
> > It's best just downloaded and installed.
> 
> That sounds like "this is open source in name only; just use our docker
> container"!

As mentioned in my other email.  
https://gitea.osgeo.org/postgis/postgis/src/branch/master/doc/html/images/Makefile.in#L56  
There are 3 options that all serve the same purpose, so you just need one of these:

rsvg-convert we added cause it seemed like a simpler option for many than having a full graphmagick imagemagick installed

But your options are
rsvg-convert
gm convert,
and old imagick convert

Though I am thinking now there is still a benefit in building html docs without images (for developers) so maybe we shouldn't just turn it off
but just mention it lacks images.  Though that wouldn't be useful for packages though.

I agree we should check if rsvg-convert is available as part of configure check or any of the others
and just disable docs building if none of those is available.

Point taken that anyone should be able to build everything.  Yes I hate the "Just use docker" mantra too.

Anyway I guess we'll need another RC to sort this out, or do people feel we should just address these in a 3.7.1 release?
I especially want to hear from packagers.

Given it seems most packagers have given up building docs before 3.7, I don't see a harm in just pushing this issue to 3.7.1.

I suspect a 3.7.1 will be coming in a month or two given the flood of security patches/complaints we’ve seen in our security team for all our branches.
Just because of automated AI security runs of the world.


Thanks,
Regina