Package manager: Build needs to include dynamic libraries as dependencies as Step

[edyu]

Zig Version

0.11.0-dev.3777+64f0059cd

Steps to Reproduce and Observed Behavior

Currently where is no way to install the dependencies (let's say A) of a package B as part of package C if C depends on B.
Say package A is a library written in another language and that exposes a dynamic library A.so.
Let's say B is a Zig wrapper for A so B needs A.so to work. B build ok with build.zig. B even installs A.so as part of the install step.

Now, say C is using the B wrapper but C cannot build because it will need A.so but by using the package manager, it can only use things such as Artifact or Module which are Compile.Step not Install.Step so there is no way for C to compile or install A.so (since C cannot touch anything other than the artifact of B) as part of C output.

right now we can do C.installLibraryHeaders(dep.artifact("B")) but not C.installLibrary(dep.install("B")) if A.so is part of B's install step.

Expected Behavior

I think there are two things:

1. There should be a way to expose other Steps in addition to Compile.Step.
2. There should be a way to include Install.Step as part of dependency just like how artifact is used so Install.Step should be part of Artifact as well.

[matu3ba]

Suggestion: Change title to ".. include dynamic libraries as dependencies as Step".
This graphic might be simpler do understand:

Let packages A, B, C be denoted by PA, PB, PC.

         depends_on                        depends_on
    PA ◄──────────────────────── PB ◄─────────────────────── PC
 (create A.so)   (binding to dynamic lib A.so)               │
     ▲                                                       │
     └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
               depends on generated A.so, but there is no Step
               `C.installLibrary(dep.install("B"))` to install A.so
               into PC.

[edyu]

Suggestion: Change title to ".. include dynamic libraries as dependencies as Step". This graphic might be simpler do understand:

Let packages A, B, C be denoted by PA, PB, PC.

         depends_on                        depends_on
    PA ◄──────────────────────── PB ◄─────────────────────── PC
 (create A.so)   (binding to dynamic lib A.so)               │
     ▲                                                       │
     └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
               depends on generated A.so, but there is no Step
               `C.installLibrary(dep.install("B"))` to install A.so
               into PC.

Thank you. Done. Changed the Title.

[edyu]

I was told by @InKryption that #14731 might fix this.

[edyu]

So my problem statement is simple. I’d like to be able to incorporate the dynamic library in my build but separate the dynamic library and the wrapper in their respective packages separate from the main project.

If I separate them into 3 projects, then libduckdb.so doesn’t get exposed to the next layer using either artifact nor module.

[edyu]

Project A, libduckdb needs to expose libduckdb.so
Project B, libduck needs to be built based on libduckdb.so and expose both libduck.a and libduckdb.so
Project C needs to be built using both libduck.a and libduckdb.so
Basically, just like how the current build system allows you to use addLibraryHeaders(), I need a way to have something similar like addDynamicLibraries().

In addition, for project A, there should be a way to not require either a source code or a linking step in order to create an artifact. An artifact can also be a set of steps that “copies” over files to destination directory.

For project C, the dynamic library libduckdb.so needs to be part of the artifact of project C to be part of the destination directory.

[glyh]

Run into the same issue when trying to fit libpcre.zig into zon's ecosystem. I would like to help, could you provide some instructions? Thanks.

[andrewrk]

This use case has finally been addressed in #18160 which landed in 289ae45.

Now you can attach dynamic libraries to a Module in the build system.