CI: Build binaries using GitHub Actions

[aminya]

This uses GitHub Actions to build build2.

The running actions: https://github.com/aminya/build2-toolchain/actions

This fails currently with some errors that I can't find the root cause of. So, you may help with that part.

[boris-kolpackov]

GitHub is not able to clone this submodule.

Hm, I am not sure what we can do about it.

[aminya]

The new error

On Ubuntu:
https://github.com/aminya/build2-toolchain/runs/1740067407?check_suite_focus=true#step:8:13

> sudo sh ./build.sh.in --sudo sudo clang++ ~/dist-ubuntu-clang
...
host x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
+ build2/b-boot config.cxx=clang++ config.bin.lib=static build2/exe{b}
This is free software released under the MIT license.
error: no build/bootstrap.build in ../libodb/
Error: Process completed with exit code 1.

On Mac:
https://github.com/aminya/build2-toolchain/runs/1740067424?check_suite_focus=true#step:9:13

build2 99999.99999.99999
libbutl 99999.99999.99999
host x86_64-apple-darwin19.6.0
This is free software released under the MIT license.
+ build2/b-boot config.cxx=clang++ config.bin.lib=static build2/exe{b}
error: no build/bootstrap.build in ../libodb-sqlite/
Error: Process completed with exit code 1.

[boris-kolpackov]

The build2-toolchain project is not meant to be built directly after cloning. Rather, it must be dist'ed (which generates all the necessary scripts, etc). Also, currently, some things have to be generated manually (documentation, ODB-generated source files).

I would suggest you consider using the pre-generated package instead of cloning, at least as a first step (once you get this working, you can always try to go back to cloning). The version for the latest release can always be programmatically discovered from this file: https://download.build2.org/toolchain.sha256

If you want to use the latest stuff, then the same for the staged version: https://stage.build2.org/0/toolchain.sha256

[aminya]

I don't know how you expect the users to install build2 while the friction of installation is so high, I doubt people will adopt this very good technology without binaries available.

I was trying to follow what is in this instruction, but I have a hard time replicating it in the CI. That's the same experience I had when I needed to install build2 locally.

https://www.build2.org/install.xhtml

[gl-yziquel]

The build2-toolchain project is not meant to be built directly after cloning. Rather, it must be dist'ed (which generates all the necessary scripts, etc).

I like to try get my source continually rebuilt in an automated way. So I'd be curious as to how one may "dist" the git repo. As of today, I only got past the bootstrapping stage, and am at a loss as to how to use the git repo on HEAD.

Instructions as to how one may "dist" the git repo would be very nice.

[boris-kolpackov]

Instructions as to how one may "dist" the git repo would be very nice.

To be able to prepare a distribution of the build2-toolchain you will need a development build of build2 (with all the build-time dependencies like cli and odb). This is quite an involved process which is described in https://github.com/build2/HOWTO/blob/master/entries/setup-build2-for-development.md

I like to try get my source continually rebuilt in an automated way.

Due to the complexity, if you want the latest snapshots of build2, the recommended approach is to use the staged toolchain via this metadata file: https://stage.build2.org/0/toolchain.sha256 The file format is described here: https://download.build2.org/README This is the approach we use on our CI bots.

[gl-yziquel]

Thank you very much for the references. I tend to like to go for the involved process when I can.