[PD-dev] pd-extended: flatspace, external-libs, aliases

[Georg Holzmann]

Hallo Hans+list!

As I added some more externals to the buildsystem now, I have some more 
questions:


1) flatspace (externals/build/src) :

I see there are now a lot of doubled objects there (e.g. zexy, iemlib, 
iemmatrix, ... is now all in the libdir format) - so I only want to ask 
if I can remove these deprecated objects here ?

And a general question about the flatspace: what should go in there ? 
All externals, which only exist of one object ?
And what is this externals/build/externals.pd file for (which doesn't 
include all objects) ?


2) external libraries:

How do we handle this (e.g. ann, which needs the ann library) - should 
we e.g. make an directory somewhere where these libraries are downloaded 
(so they don't have to be in pd-cvs) and then build with the buildsystem 
and linked to the externals statically ?

At least for not that big libraries it would be an option ... what do 
you think or how is this handled now ?

in externals/build/README you write:

<cite>
In order to add an external that needs libraries to this build system, 
create
a "libs" file with the exact same name as the source file (i.e. 
oggread~.c and
oggread~.libs).  If the .libs file has cross-platforms library options, it
should go into "externals/build/src".  .libs files for platform-specific 
library
options go in "externals/build/PLATFORM"
</cite>

but in these .libs files are only the flags for the linker ...


3) Multiple-Files externals:

again, your description in externals/build/README says this:
<cite>
In your "externals/build/src/OBJECT.c" file, #include the other files 
that need to be
compiled and linked in.  See how the chaos externals are included:
</cite>

I guess this was just a quick hack ... ;)
So I build now various libraries with multy-Files externals and will 
update this documentation if you don't mind !


4) Aliases:

your README:
<cite>
In the "externals/build/src/OBJECT.c" file, add a function with the 
alias name
with "_setup" appended to it.  Then make a symlink to original external 
binary
file that is named using the alias.
</cite>

How do you do that now ? Because I can't see any symlinks ATM ...

But maybe it's a better approach to make pd-wrapper patches (at least 
where it is possible) ... maybe in the directory of the externals ?

E.g. in iemmatrix
            - src
            - help
            - abs
            - aliases -> and here the alias patches ?

Of course it would be optimal, if those could be auto-generated ... ;)

(Problem is, that the helpfiles won't work - in any case)



So I'm curious what you and the others think about this !
LG
Georg