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diff --git a/RELEASE.txt b/RELEASE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..604b5d8 --- /dev/null +++ b/RELEASE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1016 @@ +# Copyright (c) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 The SCons Foundation +# src/RELEASE.txt 4577 2009/12/27 19:43:56 scons + + + SCons - a software construction tool + + Release Notes + + +This is SCons, a tool for building software (and other files). SCons is +implemented in Python, and its "configuration files" are actually Python +scripts, allowing you to use the full power of a real scripting language +to solve build problems. You do not, however, need to know Python to +use SCons effectively. + +So that everyone using SCons can help each other learn how to use it +more effectively, please sign up for the scons-users mailing list at: + + http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scons-users + + + +RELEASE 1.2.0.d20091224 - Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:20:55 -0800 + + Please consult the CHANGES.txt file for a list of specific changes + since last release. + + Please note the following important changes scheduled for the next + minor release (1.3.0): + + -- DEPRECATED FEATURES WILL GENERATE MANDATORY WARNINGS IN 1.3.0 + + In keeping with our deprecation cycle, the following deprecated + features will still be supported in 1.3.0 but will generate + mandatory, non-disableable warnings: + + -- Support for Python versions 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3. + -- The overrides= keyword argument to the Builder() call. + -- The scanner= keyword argument to the Builder() call. + -- The BuildDir() function and env.BuildDir() method. + -- The env.Copy() method. + -- The SourceSignatures() function and + env.SourceSignatures() method. + -- The TargetSignatures() function and + env.TargetSignatures() method. + -- The Sig module (now an unnused stub). + -- The --debug=dtree, --debug=stree and --debug=tree options. + -- The --debug=nomemoizer option. + -- The Options object and the related BoolOption(), + EnumOption(), ListOption(), PackageOption() and + PathOption() functions. + + The mandatory warnings will be issued in order to make sure + users of 1.3.0 notice *prior* to the release of SCons 2.0.0, that + these features will be removed. In SCons 2.0.0 these features + will no longer work at all, and will instead generate specific + fatal errors when anyone tries to use them. + + Please note the following important changes since release 1.2.0: + -- Visual Studio/Visual C++ support has been change significantly + + Support for HOST_OS,HOST_ARCH,TARGET_OS, TARGET_ARCH has been + added to allow specifying different target arch than the host + system. This is only supported for Visual Studio/Visual C++ + at this time. + + -- Support for Latex glosseries and acronyms has been added + + -- VISUAL C/C++ PRECOMPILED HEADERS WILL BE REBUILT + + Precompiled header files built with Visual C/C++ will be + rebuilt after upgrading from 1.2.0 to a later release. + + This rebuild is normal and will occur because the command line + defined by the $PCHCOM construction variable has had the $CCFLAGS + variable added, and has been rearranged to put the "/Fo" output + flag towards the beginning of the line, consistent with the + related command lines for $CCCOM, $CXXCOM, etc. + + -- CHANGES TO SOME LINKER COMMAND LINES WILL CAUSE RELINKING + + Changes to the command line definitions for the Microsoft link.exe + linker, the OS/2 ilink linker and the Phar Lap linkloc linker + will cause targets built with those tools be to be rebuilt after + upgrading from 1.2.0 to a later release. + + This relink is normal and will occur because the command lines for + these tools have been redefined to remove unnecessary nested $( + and $) character strings. + + Please note the following important changes since release 1.1.0: + + -- THE $CHANGED_SOURCES, $CHANGED_TARGETS, $UNCHANGED_SOURCES + AND $UNCHANGED_TARGETS VARIABLES WILL BECOME RESERVED + + A future release (probably 1.3.0) will make the construction + variable names $CHANGED_SOURCES, $CHANGED_TARGETS, + $UNCHANGED_SOURCES and $UNCHANGED_TARGETS into reserved + construction variable names controlled by SCons itself (like + the current $SOURCE, $TARGETS, etc.). + + Setting these variable names in the current release will generate + a warning but still set the variables. When they become reserved + variable names, they will generate a different warning message + and attempts to set these variables will be ignored. + + SCons configurations that happen to use these variable names + should be changed to use different variable names, in order + to ensure that the configuration continues to work with future + versions of SCons. + + -- THE Options OBJECT AND RELATED FUNCTIONS NOW GENERATE WARNINGS + + Use of the Options object, and related functions BoolOption(), + EnumOption(), ListOption(), PackageOption() and PathOption() + were announced as deprecated in release 0.98.1. Since then, + however, no warning messages were ever implemented for the + use of these deprecated functions. + + By default, release 1.2.0 prints warning messages when these + deprecated features are used. Warnings about all deprecated + features may be suppressed by using the --warn=no-deprecated + command-line option: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated + + Or by using the appropriate SetOption() call in any SConscript + file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated') + + You may optionally disable just warnings about the deprecation + of the Options object and its related functions as follows: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated-options') + + The current plan is for these warnings to become mandatory + (non-suppressible) in release 1.3.0, and for the use of Options + and its related functions to generate errors in release 2.0. + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.98.4: + + -- scons.bat NOW RETURNS THE REAL SCONS EXIT STATUS + + The scons.bat script shipped with SCons used to exit with + a status of 1 when it detected any failed (non-zero) exit + status from the underlying Python execution of SCons itself. + The scons.bat script now exits with the actual status + returned by SCons. + + -- SCONS NOW WARNS WHEN TRYING TO LINK C++ AND FORTRAN OBJECT FILES + + Some C++ toolchains do not understand Fortran runtimes and create + unpredictable executables when linking C++ and Fortran object + files together. SCons now issues a warning if you try to link + C++ and Fortran object files into the same executable: + + scons: warning: Using $CXX to link Fortran and C++ code together. + This may generate a buggy executable if the '/usr/bin/gcc' + compiler does not know how to deal with Fortran runtimes. + + The warning may be suppressed with either the --warning=no-link + or --warning=no-fortran-cxx-mix command line options, or by + adding either of the following lines to a SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-link') + SetOption('warn', 'no-fortran-cxx-mix') + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.98: + + -- SCONS NO LONGER SETS THE GNU TOOLCHAIN -fPIC FLAG IN $SHCXXFLAGS + + The GNU toolchain support in previous versions of SCons would + add the -fPIC flag to the $SHCXXFLAGS construction variable. + The -fPIC flag has been now been removed from the default + $SHCXXFLAGS setting. Instead, the $SHCXXCOM construction variable + (the default SCons command line for compiling shared objects + from C++ source files) has been changed to add the $SHCCFLAGS + variable, which contains the -fPIC flag. + + This change was made in order to make the behavior of the default + C++ compilation line including $SHCCFLAGS consistent with the + default C compilation line including $CCFLAGS. + + This change should have no impact on configurations that use + the default $SHCXXCOM command line. It may have an impact on + configurations that were using the default $SHCXXFLAGS value + *without* the $SHCCFLAGS variable to get the -fPIC flag into a + custom command line. You can fix these by adding the $SHCCFLAGS + to the custom command line. + + Adding $SHCCFLAGS is backwards compatible with older SCons + releases, although it might cause the -fPIC flag to be repeated + on the command line if you execute it on an older version of + SCons that sets -fPIC in both the $SHCCLAFGS and $SHCXXFLAGS + variables. Duplicating the -fPIC flag on the g++ command line + will not cause any compilation problems, but the change to the + command line may cause SCons to rebuild object files. + + -- FORTRAN NOW COMPILES .f FILES WITH gfortran BY DEFAULT + + The Fortran Tool modules have had a major overhaul with the intent + of making them work as-is for most configurations. In general, + most configurations that use default settings should not see + any noticeable difference. + + One configuration that has changed is if you have both a gfortran + and g77 compiler installed. In this case, previous versions of + SCons would, by default, use g77 by default to compile files with + a .f suffix, while SCons 0.98.1 will use the gfortran compiler + by default. The old behavior may be preserved by explicitly + initializing construction environments with the 'g77' Tool module: + + env = Environment(tools = ['g77', 'default']) + + The above code is backwards compatible to older versions of SCons. + + If you notice any other changes in the behavior of default + Fortran support, please let us know so we can document them in + these release notes for other users. + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.97.0d20071212: + + -- SUPPORT FOR PYTHON VERSIONS BEFORE 2.2 IS NOW DEPRECATED + + SCons now prints the following warning when it is run by any + Python 1.5, 2.0 or 2.1 release or sub-release: + + scons: warning: Support for pre-2.2 Python (VERSION) is deprecated. + If this will cause hardship, contact dev@scons.tigris.org. + + You may disable all warnings about deprecated features by adding + the option "--warn=no-deprecated" to the command line or to the + $SCONSFLAGS environment variable: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated + + Using '--warn=no-deprecated' is compatible with earlier versions + of SCons. + + You may also, as of this version of SCons, disable all warnings + about deprecated features by adding the following to any + SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated') + + You may disable only the specific warning about running under + a deprecated Python version by adding the following to any + SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-python-version') + + The warning may also be suppressed on the command line: + + $ scons --warn=no-python-version + + Or by specifying the --warn=no-python-version option in the + $SCONSFLAGS environment variable. + + Using SetOption('warn', ...), and the 'no-python-version' + command-line option for suppressing this specific warning, + are *not* backwards-compatible to earlier versions of SCons. + + -- THE env.Copy() METHOD IS NOW OFFICIALLY DEPRECATED + + The env.Copy() method is now officially deprecated and will + be removed in a future release. Using the env.Copy() method + now generates the following message: + + scons: warning: The env.Copy() method is deprecated; use the env.Clone() method instead. + + You may disable all warnings about deprecated features by adding + the option "--warn=no-deprecated" to the command line or to the + $SCONSFLAGS environment variable: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated + + Using '--warn=no-deprecated' is compatible with earlier versions + of SCons. + + You may also, as of this version of SCons, disable all warnings + about deprecated features by adding the following to any + SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated') + + You may disable only the specific warning about the deprecated + env.Copy() method by adding the following to any SConscript + file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated-copy') + + The warning may also be suppressed on the command line: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated-copy + + Or by specifying the --warn=no-deprecated-copy option in the + $SCONSFLAGS environment variable. + + Using SetOption('warn', ...), and the 'no-deprecated-copy' + command-line option for suppressing this specific warning, + are *not* backwards-compatible to earlier versions of SCons. + + -- THE --debug=dtree, --debug=stree AND --debug=tree OPTIONS ARE DEPRECATED + + The --debug=dtree, --debug=stree and --debug=tree methods + are now officially deprecated and will be removed in a + future release. Using these options now generate a warning + message recommending use of the --tree=derived, --tree=all,status + and --tree=all options, respectively. + + You may disable these warnings, and all warnings about + deprecated features, by adding the option "--warn=no-deprecated" + to the command line or to the $SCONSFLAGS environment + variable: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated + + Using '--warn=no-deprecated' is compatible with earlier versions + of SCons. + + -- THE TargetSignatures() AND SourceSignatures() FUNCTIONS ARE DEPRECATED + + The TargetSignatures() and SourceSignatures() functions, + and their corresponding env.TargetSignatures() and + env.SourceSignatures() methods, are now officially deprecated + and will be be removed in a future release. Using ahy of + these functions or methods now generates a message + similar to the following: + + scons: warning: The env.TargetSignatures() method is deprecated; + convert your build to use the env.Decider() method instead. + + You may disable all warnings about deprecated features by adding + the option "--warn=no-deprecated" to the command line or to the + $SCONSFLAGS environment variable: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated + + Using '--warn=no-deprecated' is compatible with earlier versions + of SCons. + + You may also, as of this version of SCons, disable all warnings + about deprecated features by adding the following to any + SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated') + + You may disable only the specific warning about the use of + TargetSignatures() or SourceSignatures() by adding the + following to any SConscript file: + + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated-target-signatures') + SetOption('warn', 'no-deprecated-source-signatures') + + The warnings may also be suppressed on the command line: + + $ scons --warn=no-deprecated-target-signatures --warn=no-deprecated-source-signatures + + Or by specifying these options in the $SCONSFLAGS environment + variable. + + Using SetOption('warn', ...), or the command-line options + for suppressing these warnings, is *not* backwards-compatible + to earlier versions of SCons. + + -- File(), Dir() and Entry() NOW RETURN A LIST WHEN THE INPUT IS A SEQUENCE + + Previously, if these methods were passed a list, the list was + substituted and stringified, then passed as a single string to + create a File/Dir/Entry Node. This rarely if ever worked with + more than one element in the list. They now return a list of + Nodes when passed a list. + + One case that works differently now is a passing in a + single-element sequence; that formerly was stringified + (returning its only element) and then a single Node would be + returned. Now a single-element list containing the Node will + be returned, for consistency. + + -- THE env.subst() METHOD NOW RETURNS A LIST WHEN THE INPUT IS A SEQUENCE + + The env.subst() method now returns a list with the elements + expanded when given a list as input. Previously, the env.subst() + method would always turn its result into a string. + + This behavior was changed because it interfered with being able + to include things like lists within the expansion of variables + like $CPPPATH and then have SCons understand that the elements + of the "internal" lists still needed to be treated separately. + This would cause a $CPPPATH list like ['subdir1', 'subdir'] + to show up in a command line as "-Isubdir1 subdir". + + -- THE Jar() BUILDER NOW USES THE Java() BUILDER CLASSDIR BY DEFAULT + + By default, the Jar() Builder will now use the class directory + specified when the Java() builder is called. So the following + input: + + classes = env.Java('classes', 'src') + env.Jar('out.jar', classes) + + Will cause "-C classes" to be passed the "jar" command invocation, + and the Java classes in the "out.jar" file will not be prefixed + "classes/". + + Explicitly setting the $JARCHDIR variable overrides this default + behavior. The old behavior of not passing any -C option to the + "jar" command can be preserved by explicitly setting $JARCHDIR + to None: + + env = Environment(JARCHDIR = None) + + The above setting is compatible with older versions of SCons. + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.97.0d20070918: + + -- SCons REDEFINES PYTHON open() AND file() ON Windows TO NOT PASS + ON OPEN FILE HANDLES TO CREATED PROCESSES + + On Windows systems, SCons now redefines the Python open() + and file() functions so that, if the Python Win32 extensions + are available, the file handles for any opened files will *not* + be inherited by subprocesses, such as the spawned compilers and + other tools invoked to build the software. + + This prevents certain race conditions where a file handle for + a file opened by Python (either in a Python function action, + or directly in a SConscript file) could be inherited and help + open by a subprocess, interfering with the ability of other + processes to create or modify the file. + + In general, this should not cause problems for the vast majority + of configurations. The only time this would be a problem would be + in the unlikely event that a process spawned by SCons specifically + *expected* to use an inherited file handle opened by SCons. + + If the Python Win32 extensions are not installed or are an + earlier version that does not have the ability to disable file + handle inheritance, SCons will print a warning message when the + -j option is used. The warning message may be suppressed by + specifying --warn=no-parallel-support. + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.97.0d20070809: + + -- "content" SIGNATURES ARE NOW THE DEFAULT BEHAVIOR + + The default behavior of SCons is now to use the MD5 checksum of + all file contents to decide if any files have changed and should + cause rebuilds of their source files. This means that SCons may + decide not to rebuild "downstream" targets if a a given input + file is rebuilt to the exact same contents as the last time. + The old behavior may preserved by explicity specifying: + + TargetSignatures("build") + + In any of your SConscript files. + + -- TARGETS NOW IMPLICITLY DEPEND ON THE COMMAND THAT BUILDS THEM + + For all targets built by calling external commands (such as a + compiler or other utility), SCons now adds an implicit dependency + on the command(s) used to build the target. + + This will cause rebuilds of all targets built by external commands + when running SCons in a tree built by previous version of SCons, + in order to update the recorded signatures. + + The old behavior of not having targets depend on the external + commands that build them can be preserved by setting a new + $IMPLICIT_COMMAND_DEPENDENCIES construction variable to a + non-True value: + + env = Environment(IMPLICIT_COMMAND_DEPENDENCIES = 0) + + or by adding Ignore() calls for any targets where the behavior + is desired: + + Ignore('/usr/bin/gcc', 'foo.o') + + Both of these settings are compatible with older versions + of SCons. + + -- CHANGING SourceSignature() MAY CAUSE "UNECESSARY" REBUILDS + + If you change the SourceSignature() value from 'timestamp' to + 'MD5', SCons will now rebuild targets that were already up-to-date + with respect to their source files. + + This will happen because SCons did not record the content + signatures of the input source files when the target was last + built--it only recorded the timestamps--and it must record them + to make sure the signature information is correct. However, + the content of source files may have changed since the last + timestamp build was performed, and SCons would not have any way to + verify that. (It would have had to open up the file and record + a content signature, which is one of the things you're trying to + avoid by specifying use of timestamps....) So in order to make + sure the built targets reflect the contents of the source files, + the targets must be rebuilt. + + Change the SourceSignature() value from 'MD5' to 'timestamp' + should correctly not rebuild target files, because the timestamp + of the files is always recorded. + + In previous versions of SCons, changing the SourceSignature() + value would lead to unpredictable behavior, usually including + rebuilding targets. + + -- THE Return() FUNCTION NOW ACTUALLY RETURNS IMMEDIATELY + + The Return() function now immediately stops processing the + SConscript file in which it appears and returns the values of the + variables named in its arguments. It used to continue processing + the rest of the SConscript file, and then return the values of the + specified variables at the point the Return() function was called. + + The old behavior may be requested by adding a "stop=False" + keyword argument to the Return() call: + + Return('value', stop=False) + + The "stop=" keyword argument is *not* compatible with SCons + versions 0.97.0d20070809 or earlier. + + Please note the following important changes since release 0.97: + + -- env.CacheDir() NOW ONLY AFFECTS CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENT TARGETS + + The env.CacheDir() method now only causes derived files to be + retrieved from the specified cache directory for targets built + with the specified specified construction environment ("env"). + + Previously, any call to env.CacheDir() or CacheDir() would modify + a global setting and cause all built targets to be retrieved + from the specified cache directory. This behavior was changed so + that env.CacheDir() would be consistent with other construction + environment methods, which only affect targets built with the + specified construction environment. + + The old behavior of changing the global behavior may be preserved + by changing any env.CacheDir() calls to: + + CacheDir('/path/to/cache/directory') + + The above change is backwards-compatible and works in all earlier + versions of SCons that support CacheDir(). + + -- INTERPRETATION OF SUFFIX-LESS SOURCE ARGUMENTS HAS CHANGED + + The interpretation of source arguments (files) without suffixes + has changed in one specific configuration. + + Previously, if a Builder had a src_suffix specified (indicating + that source files without suffixes should have that suffix + appended), the suffix would only be applied to suffix-less source + arguments if the Builder did *not* have one or more attached + source Builders (that is, the Builder was not a "multi-stage" + Builder). So in the following configuration: + + build_foo = Builder(src_suffix = '.foo') + build_bar = Builder(src_suffix = '.bar', + src_builder = build_bar) + + env = Environment(BUILDERS = { + 'Foo' : build_foo, + 'Boo' : build_bar, + }) + + env.Foo('tgt1', 'src1') + env.Bar('tgt2', 'src2') + + SCons would have expected to find a source file 'src1.foo' for the + env.Foo() call, but a source file 'src2' for the env.Bar() call. + + This behavior has now been made consistent, so that the two + above calls would expect source files named 'src1.foo' and + 'src2.bar', respectively. + + Note that, if genuinely desired, the old behavior of building + from a source file without a suffix at all (when the Builder has + a src_suffix *and* a src_builder) can be specified explicity by + turning the string into a File Node directly: + + env.Bar('tgt2', File('src2')) + + The above use of File() is backwards-compatible and will work + on earlier versions of SCons. + + -- THE DEFAULT EXECUTION PATH FOR Solaris HAS CHANGED + + On Solaris systems, SCons now adds the "/opt/SUNWspro/bin" + directory to the default execution $PATH variable before the + "/usr/ccs/bin" directory. This was done to reflect the fact + that /opt/SUNWspro/ is the default for SUN tools, but it may + cause a different compiler to be used if you have compilers + installed in both directories. + + -- GENERATED config.h FILES NOW SAY "#define HAVE_{FEATURE} 1" + + When generating a "config.h" file, SCons now defines values that + record the existence of a feature with a "1" value: + + #define HAVE_FEATURE 1 + + Instead of printing the line without a "1", as it used to: + + #define HAVE_FEATURE + + This should not cause any problems in the normal use of "#ifdef + HAVE_{FEATURE}" statements interpreted by a C preprocessor, but + might cause a compatibility issue if a script or other utility + looks for an exact match of the previous text. + + Please note the following planned, future changes: + + -- THE Options OBJECT AND RELATED FUNCTIONS WILL BE DEPRECATED + + The Options object is being replaced by a new Variables + object, which uses a new Variables.AddVariable() method + where the previous interface used Options.AddOptions(). + + Similarly, the following utility functions are being replaced + by the following similarly-named functions: + + BoolOption() BoolVariable() + EnumOption() EnumVariable() + ListOption() ListVariable() + PackageOption() PackageVariable() + PathOption() PathVariable() + + And also related, the options= keyword argument when creating + construction environments with the Environment() functions is + being replaced with a variables= keyword argument. + + In some future release a deprecation warning will be added to + existing uses of the Options object, its methods, the above + utility functions, and the options= keyword argument of the + Environment() function. At some point after the deprecation + warning is added, the Options object, related functions and + options= keyword argument will be removed entirely. + + You can prepare for this by changing all your uses of the Options + object and related functions to the Variables object and the new + function names, and changing any uses of the options= keyword + argument to variables=. + + NOTE: CONVERTING TO USING THE NEW Variables OBJECT OR THE + RELATED *Variable() FUNCTIONS, OR USING THE NEW variable= + KEYWORD ARGUMENT, IS NOT BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE TO VERSIONS OF + SCons BEFORE 0.98. YOUR SConscript FILES WILL NOT WORK ON + EARLIER VERSIONS OF SCons AFTER MAKING THIS CHANGE. + + If you change SConscript files in software that you make available + for download or otherwise distribute, other users may try to + build your software with an earlier version of SCons that does + not have the Variables object or related *Variable() functions. + We recommend preparing for this in one of two ways: + + -- Make your SConscript files backwards-compatible by + modifying your calls with Python try:-except: blocks + as follows: + + try: + vars = Variables('custom.py', ARGUMENTS) + vars.AddVariables( + BoolVariable('WARNINGS', 'cmopile with -Wall', 1), + EnumVariable('DEBUG', 'debug version', 'no' + allowed_values=('yes', 'no', 'full'), + map={}, ignorecase=0), + ListVariable('SHAREDLIBS', + 'libraries to build shared', + 'all', + names = list_of_libs), + PackageVariable('X11', + 'use X11 from here', + '/usr/bin/X11'), + PathVariable('QTDIR', 'root of Qt', qtdir), + ) + except NameError: + vars = Options('custom.py', ARGUMENTS) + vars.AddOptions( + BoolOption('WARNINGS', 'cmopile with -Wall', 1), + EnumOption('DEBUG', 'debug version', 'no' + allowed_values=('yes', 'no', 'full'), + map={}, ignorecase=0), + ListOption('SHAREDLIBS', + 'libraries to build shared', + 'all', + names = list_of_libs), + PackageOption('X11', + 'use X11 from here', + '/usr/bin/X11'), + PathOption('QTDIR', 'root of Qt', qtdir), + ) + + Additionally, you can check for availability of the new + variables= keyword argument as follows: + + try: + env = Environment(variables=vars) + except TypeError: + env = Environment(options=vars) + + (Note that we plan to maintain the existing Options object + name for some time, to ensure backwards compatibility, + so in practice it may be easier to just continue to use + the old name until you're reasonably sure you won't have + people trying to build your software with versions of + SCons earlier than 0.98.1.) + + -- Use the EnsureSConsVersion() function to provide a + descriptive error message if your SConscript files + are executed by an earlier version of SCons: + + EnsureSConsVersion(0, 98, 1) + + -- THE BuildDir() METHOD AND FUNCTION WILL BE DEPRECATED + + The env.BuildDir() method and BuildDir() function are being + replaced by the new env.VariantDir() method and VariantDir() + function. + + In some future release a deprecation warning will be added + to existing uses of the env.BuildDir() method and BuildDir() + function. At some point after the deprecation warning, the + env.Builder() method and BuildDir() function will either + be removed entirely or have their behavior changed. + + You can prepare for this by changing all your uses of the + env.BuildDir() method to env.VariantDir() and uses of the + global BuildDir() function to VariantDir(). If you use a + named keyword argument of "build_dir" when calling + env.BuildDir() or BuildDir(): + + env.BuildDir(build_dir='opt', src_dir='src') + + The keyword must be changed to "variant_dir": + + env.VariantDir(variant_dir='opt', src_dir='src') + + NOTE: CHANGING USES OF env.BuildDir() AND BuildDir() to + env.VariantDir() AND VariantDir() IS NOT BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE + TO VERSIONS OF SCons BEFORE 0.98. YOUR SConscript FILES + WILL NOT WORK ON EARLIER VERSIONS OF SCons AFTER MAKING + THIS CHANGE. + + If you change SConscript files in software that you make + available for download or otherwise distribute, other users + may try to build your software with an earlier version of + SCons that does not have the env.VariantDir() method or + VariantDir() fnction. We recommend preparing for this in + one of two ways: + + -- Make your SConscript files backwards-compatible by + including the following code near the beginning of your + top-level SConstruct file: + + import SCons.Environment + try: + SCons.Environment.Environment.VariantDir + except AttributeError: + SCons.Environment.Environment.VariantDir = \ + SCons.Environment.Environment.BuildDir + + -- Use the EnsureSConsVersion() function to provide a + descriptive error message if your SConscript files + are executed by an earlier version of SCons: + + EnsureSConsVersion(0, 98) + + -- THE SConscript() "build_dir" KEYWORD ARGUMENT WILL BE DEPRECATED + + The "build_dir" keyword argument of the SConscript function + and env.SConscript() method are being replaced by a new + "variant_dir" keyword argument. + + In some future release a deprecation warning will be added + to existing uses of the SConscript()/env.SConscript() + "build_dir" keyword argument. At some point after the + deprecation warning, support for this keyword argument will + be removed entirely. + + You can prepare for this by changing all your uses of the + SConscript()/env.SConscript() 'build_dir" keyword argument: + + SConscript('src/SConscript', build_dir='opt') + + To use the new "variant_dir" keyword argument: + + SConscript('src/SConscript', variant_dir='opt') + + NOTE: USING THE NEW "variant_dir" KEYWORD IS NOT BACKWARDS + COMPATIBLE TO VERSIONS OF SCons BEFORE 0.98. YOUR SConscript + FILES WILL NOT WORK ON EARLIER VERSIONS OF SCons AFTER + MAKING THIS CHANGE. + + If you change SConscript files in software that you make + available for download or otherwise distribute, other users + may try to build your software with an earlier version of + SCons that does not support the "variant_dir" keyword. + + If you can insist that users use a recent version of SCons + that supports "variant_dir", we recommend using the + EnsureSConsVersion() function to provide a descriptive error + message if your SConscript files are executed by an earlier + version of SCons: + + EnsureSConsVersion(0, 98) + + If you want to make sure that your SConscript files will + still work with earlier versions of SCons, then your best + bet is to continue to use the "build_dir" keyword until the + support is removed (which, in all likelihood, won't happen + for quite some time). + + -- SCANNER NAMES HAVE BEEN DEPRECATED AND WILL BE REMOVED + + Several internal variable names in SCons.Defaults for various + pre-made default Scanner objects have been deprecated and will + be removed in a future revision. In their place are several new + global variable names that are now part of the publicly-supported + interface: + + NEW NAME DEPRECATED NAME + -------- ---------------------------- + CScanner SCons.Defaults.CScan + DSCanner SCons.Defaults.DScan + SourceFileScanner SCons.Defaults.ObjSourceScan + ProgramScanner SCons.Defaults.ProgScan + + Of these, only ObjSourceScan was probably used at all, to add + new mappings of file suffixes to other scanners for use by the + Object() Builder. This should now be done as follows: + + SourceFileScanner.add_scanner('.x', XScanner) + + -- THE env.Copy() METHOD WILL CHANGE OR GO AWAY ENTIRELY + + The env.Copy() method (to make a copy of a construction + environment) is being replaced by the env.Clone() method. + + As of SCons 0.98, a deprecation warning has been added to + current uses of the env.Copy() method. At some point in + the future, the env.Copy() method will either be removed + entirely or have its behavior changed. + + You can prepare for this by changing all your uses of env.Copy() + to env.Clone(), which has the exact same calling arguments. + + NOTE: CHANGING USES OF env.Copy() TO env.Clone() WILL MAKE + YOUR SConscript FILES NOT WORK ON VERSIONS OF SCons BEFORE + 0.96.93. + + If you change SConscript files in software that you make + available for download or otherwise distribute, other users + may try to build your software with an earlier version of + SCons that does not have the env.Clone() method. We recommend + preparing for this in one of two ways: + + -- Make your SConscript files backwards-compatible by + including the following code near the beginning of your + top-level SConstruct file: + + import SCons.Environment + try: + SCons.Environment.Environment.Clone + except AttributeError: + SCons.Environment.Environment.Clone = \ + SCons.Environment.Environment.Copy + + -- Use the EnsureSConsVersion() function to provide a + descriptive error message if your SConscript files + are executed by an earlier version of SCons: + + EnsureSConsVersion(0, 96, 93) + + -- THE CheckLib Configure TEST WILL CHANGE BEHAVIOR + + The CheckLib() Configure test appends the lib(s) to the + Environment's LIBS list in 1.3 and earlier. In 1.3 there is a + new CheckLib argument, append, which defaults to True to + preserve the old behavior. In a future release, append will + be changed to default to False, to conform with autoconf and + user expectations, since it is usually used to build up + library lists in a right-to-left way. + + + + SCons is developed with an extensive regression test suite, and a + rigorous development methodology for continually improving that suite. + Because of this, SCons is of sufficient quality that you can use it + for real work. + + The interfaces in release 1.0 will *not* be knowingly changed in + any new, future 1.x release. If an interface change should ever + become necessary due to extraordinary circumstances, the change + and an appropriate transition strategy will be documented in these + RELEASE notes. + + As you use SCons, please heed the following: + + - Please report any bugs or other problems that you find to our bug + tracker at our SourceForge project page: + + http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=add&group_id=30337&atid=398971 + + We have a reliable bug-fixing methodology already in place and + strive to respond to problems relatively quickly. + + - Documentation is spottier than we'd like. You may need to dive + into the source code to figure out how to do something. Asking + questions on the scons-users mailing list is also welcome. We + will be addressing the documentation in upcoming releases, but + would be more than glad to have your assistance in correcting this + problem... :-) + + - The "SCons Design" documentation on the SCons web site is very + out of date, as we made significant changes to portions of the + interface as we figured out what worked and what didn't during the + extensive beta implementation. The "SCons Design" document should + be used only for historical purposes, or for just an extremely + general understanding of SCons' architectural goals. + + - There may be performance issues. Improving SCons performance + is an ongoing priority. If you still find the performance + unacceptable, we would very much like to hear from you and learn + more about your configuration so we can optimize the right things. + + - Error messages don't always exist where they'd be helpful. + Please let us know about any errors you ran into that would + have benefitted from a (more) descriptive message. + + KNOWN PROBLEMS IN THIS RELEASE: + + For a complete list of known problems, consult the SCons Issue Tracker + at tigris.org: + + http://scons.tigris.org/project_issues.html + + - Support for parallel builds (-j) does not work on WIN32 systems + prior to *official* Python release 2.2 (not 2.2 pre-releases). + + Prior to Python 2.2, there is a bug in Python's Win32 + implementation such that when a thread spawns an external command, + it blocks all threads from running. This breaks the SCons + multithreading architecture used to support -j builds. + + We have included a patch file, os_spawnv_fix.diff, that you can + use if you you want to fix your version of Python to support + parallel builds in SCons. + + - Again, the "SCons Design" documentation on the SCons web site is + out of date. Take what you read there with a grain of salt. + + - On Win32 systems, you must put a space between the redirection + characters < and >, and the specified files (or construction + variable expansions): + + command < $SOURCE > $TARGET + + If you don't supply a space (for example, "<$SOURCE"), SCons will + not recognize the redirection. + + - MSVC .res files are not rebuilt when icons change. + + - The -c option does not clean up .sconsign files or directories + created as part of the build, and also does not clean up + SideEffect files (for example, Visual Studio .pdb files). + + - When using multiple Repositories, changing the name of an include + file can cause an old version of the file to be used. + + - There is currently no way to force use of a relative path (../*) + for directories outside the top-level SConstruct file. + + - The Jar() Builder will, on its second or subsequent invocation, + package up the .sconsign files that SCons uses to track signatures. + You can work around this by using the SConsignFile() function + to collect all of the .sconsign information into a single file + outside of the directory being packaged by Jar(). + + - SCons does not currently have a way to detect that an intermediate + file has been corrupted from outside and should be rebuilt. + + - Unicode characters in path names do not work in all circumstances. + + - SCons does not currently automatically check out SConstruct or + SConscript files from SCCS, RCS or BitKeeper. + + - No support yet for the following planned command-line options: + + -d -e -l --list-actions --list-derived --list-where + -o --override -p -r -R -w --write-filenames + -W --warn-undefined-variables + + + +Thank you for your interest, and please let us know how we can help +improve SCons for your needs. + +Steven Knight +knight at baldmt dot com +http://www.baldmt.com/~knight/ + +With plenty of help from the SCons Development team: + Chad Austin + Charles Crain + Bill Deegan + Steve Leblanc + Greg Noel + Gary Oberbrunner + Anthony Roach + Greg Spencer + Christoph Wiedemann + |