Re: [Module::Build] Recursive builds?

[Peter S. <Pe...@PS...>]

At 09:40 AM 2/13/2006, Eric Wilhelm wrote:
>I'm sure I've left something out, but the point is to never require a
>build to look upwards from itself.  The toplevel builder should play
>manager to the subdir worker builders, feeding them everything they
>need to know.
>
>There's also something about dependencies in the Build.PL stage.  Maybe
>the toplevel Build.PL could gather all of the META.yml info and inform
>the workers about which dependencies are satisfied by their peers.

Just looking for a simple solution, I see two alternatives:

(1) By default, recurse through all subdirectories reproducing the 
current action in any that contain a Build.PL.
- OR -
(2) Require an option to be enabled for recursion.  On finding a 
subdirectory containing a Build.PL, execute the current action there 
but prune.  If the Build.PL at that level wants to recurse further, it 
can enable that option itself.

So "perl Build.PL" would search down subdirectories for directories 
containing Build.PL, and then execute "perl Build.PL" in them.  And 
ditto for "./Build <target>".  In scenario (1), this would happen 
automatically, and would search throughout the tree.  In scenario (2), 
some option would have to be enabled in the Build.PL to make this 
happen, and when recursing, on finding a Build.PL in any directory, the 
recursion would be pruned at that directory because the Build.PL it 
just found could recurse itself if it wanted to.

That's all.  No passing of parameters down to subsidiary Build.PLs, no 
looking upward, just really simple and leaving it up to the user to do 
that some way if they want to.  At least the users will find it easy to 
understand how the feature works.

My preference is for alternative (2).  I don't mind submitting a patch, 
either, although it sounds like there's some history on this topic 
already and I don't want to step on any toes.

-- 
Peter Scott
Pacific Systems Design Technologies
http://www.perldebugged.com/
http://www.perlmedic.com/