diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/guix.texi | 58 |
1 files changed, 35 insertions, 23 deletions
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index 401e98ba99..e0235b9590 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -2263,34 +2263,46 @@ The arguments that should be passed to the build system. This is a list, typically containing sequential keyword-value pairs. @item @code{inputs} (default: @code{'()}) -Package or derivation inputs to the build. This is a list of lists, -where each list has the name of the input (a string) as its first -element, a package or derivation object as its second element, and -optionally the name of the output of the package or derivation that -should be used, which defaults to @code{"out"}. - -@item @anchor{package-propagated-inputs}@code{propagated-inputs} (default: @code{'()}) -@cindex propagated inputs -This field is like @code{inputs}, but the specified packages will be -force-installed alongside the package they belong to -(@pxref{package-cmd-propagated-inputs, @command{guix package}}, for -information on how @command{guix package} deals with propagated inputs.) +@itemx @code{native-inputs} (default: @code{'()}) +@itemx @code{propagated-inputs} (default: @code{'()}) +@cindex inputs, of packages +These fields list dependencies of the package. Each one is a list of +tuples, where each tuple has a label for the input (a string) as its +first element, a package, origin, or derivation as its second element, +and optionally the name of the output thereof that should be used, which +defaults to @code{"out"} (@pxref{Packages with Multiple Outputs}, for +more on package outputs). For example, the list below specifies 3 +inputs: + +@example +`(("libffi" ,libffi) + ("libunistring" ,libunistring) + ("glib:bin" ,glib "bin")) ;the "bin" output of Glib +@end example + +@cindex cross compilation, package dependencies +The distinction between @code{native-inputs} and @code{inputs} is +necessary when considering cross-compilation. When cross-compiling, +dependencies listed in @code{inputs} are built for the @emph{target} +architecture; conversely, dependencies listed in @code{native-inputs} +are built for the architecture of the @emph{build} machine. + +@code{native-inputs} is typically where you would list tools needed at +build time but not at run time, such as Autoconf, Automake, pkg-config, +Gettext, or Bison. @command{guix lint} can report likely mistakes in +this area (@pxref{Invoking guix lint}). + +@anchor{package-propagated-inputs} +Lastly, @code{propagated-inputs} is similar to @code{inputs}, but the +specified packages will be force-installed alongside the package they +belong to (@pxref{package-cmd-propagated-inputs, @command{guix +package}}, for information on how @command{guix package} deals with +propagated inputs.) For example this is necessary when a library needs headers of another library to compile, or needs another shared library to be linked alongside itself when a program wants to link to it. -@item @code{native-inputs} (default: @code{'()}) -This field is like @code{inputs}, but in case of a cross-compilation it -will be ensured that packages for the architecture of the build machine -are present, such that executables from them can be used during the -build. - -This is typically where you would list tools needed at build time but -not at run time, such as Autoconf, Automake, pkg-config, Gettext, or -Bison. @command{guix lint} can report likely mistakes in this area -(@pxref{Invoking guix lint}). - @item @code{self-native-input?} (default: @code{#f}) This is a Boolean field telling whether the package should use itself as a native input when cross-compiling. |