The cmake scripts do not rebuild scanners.c from scanners.re

A cursory reading of install instructions suggests that both cmake and makefile methods of installation take care of updating scanners.c from scanners.re.

However, the instructions for doing it are not present on cmake scripts, only in the handwritten Makefile.

I guess there are two possible solutions, and I am open to either:

clarify the docs so that it's clear you have to use make when you modify scanners.re
add something to the cmake script that handles this

scanners.c and some other pieces of generated code are under version control. Users never have to rebuild these files.

Arguably it doesn't matter for end users, but it is important for developers and package maintainers, especially source-based ones..

Anyway, I will try something after refreshing my memory on cmake.

These files are under version control and updated by cmark contributors. Downstream developers and package maintainers don't have to rebuild these files.

Downstream developers and package maintainers don't have to rebuild these files.

They don't have to, but some want to, and others may even need it.

I do not know about how other distros deal with bootstrappability and Trusting Trust issues, especially given the XZ Incident.

But specifically Guix is deadly serious about it - they strive to get rid of machine-generated inputs for their build scripts, from "earlier version of this compiler" bootstrap binaries to minified Javascript files.

I don't think CMake offers a clean way to update generated code in the source tree. I'd simply stick with our current Makefile rules.

I still don't understand what this issue is trying to solve and I'd suggest to close it.

For a future reference, this change for the cmark package definition of GNU Guix shows how to build in a bootstrappable way.

I think the following two would be helpful for packaging in particular:

a way to quickly remove generated files.
- In the change, it is the snippet section.
a way to automatically regenerate files when they are missing/removed, due to the first point.
- In the change, it is the (add-before 'configure 'generate part.

I tried to solve the second point and made #630.
I understand this can be bypassed with some adjustments in package recipes, so this is for those who is in a similar situation :)

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The cmake scripts do not rebuild scanners.c from scanners.re #580

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The cmake scripts do not rebuild scanners.c from scanners.re #580

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jgm commented on Jul 19, 2025

nwellnhof commented on Jul 21, 2025

AndersonTorres commented on Jul 22, 2025

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