Override program with a custom target

[xclaesse]

No description provided.

[xclaesse]

For context, I'm using it there: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gobject-introspection/-/merge_requests/547.

g-ir-scanner is a python tool that requires a module to be built. When g-i is built as subproject, gnome.generate_gir() needs a way to depend on that module to be built first.

[xclaesse]

Actually, I'm having a 2nd though about this. If the custom target output is a script, Meson won't be able to parse the shebang on Windows. I think that means a program must be an executable, external, or a file that exists at config time. Which is exactly what meson.override_find_program() accepts.

I think we should instead concentrate on fixing the root issue: How do we define a program that has build time dependencies.

I see 2 ways:

• Add a new function: prog = local_program('foo.py', depends: [...]) meson.override_find_program('foo', prog).
• Less flexible but new kwarg instead of new function: meson.override_find_program('foo', files('foo.py'), depends: [...])

The 2nd option could be enough because the current project does know about its own program dependencies and can always manually add it everywhere it's being used. It is only when it's being used by a parent project, when find_program() returns an override, that it cannot know about those extra deps.

[xclaesse]

Closing in favor of #15107