[Python-Dev] -C in Setup files (original) (raw)

Andrew Kuchling akuchlin@mems-exchange.org
Fri, 22 Mar 2002 20:44:41 -0500

Pete Shinners reported that Distutils doesn't treat the -C option in a Setup file the same as the makesetup script. He's right, but I don't think the -C option is useful in makesetup at all!

The relevant bit of code in makesetup is: case $arg in -framework) libs="$libs $arg"; skip=libs; ;; -[IDUCfF]*) cpps="$cpps $arg";; -Xlinker) libs="$libs $arg"; skip=libs;;

'-Cfoo' in a Setup file therefore causes -Cfoo to be added to the list of compiler flags, but at least in GCC, that doesn't mean anything; -C indicates that the preprocessor shouldn't strip comments, and it doesn't take an argument. (Anyone know what -C does in other compilers?)

Because of this, I think -C in makesetup has been useless since revision 1.1 of makesetup (which is 1994 -- Python 1.0.0), so I doubt anyone has ever used it. Distutils should do something useful with it, and IMHO that would be to make '-C cpparg' add 'cpparg' to the compiler's arguments. Thoughts? Should makesetup be fixed to match?

--amk (www.amk.ca) The more I know me, the less I like me. -- The Doctor, in "Time and the Rani"