mesonbuild/meson

Support CACHEDIR.TAG for meson build directories

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#11,734 opened on Apr 25, 2023

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 (5 comments) (3 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (4,978 stars) (1,465 forks)batch import
good first issue

Description

Describe the bug Meson build directories may be in-tree instead of in some XDG cache folder, so it is useful to mark the build directory as being cache so that backup applications can ignore it, wherever the build directory might lie. This is what the very simple CACHEDIR.TAG specification describes. It is for example used by Rust and supported by Pika Backup and Deja Dup.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
build system
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
PythonMeson build system
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
85
Research direction
Implement a function to create a CACHEDIR.TAG file in the build directory during its creation, following the specification at https://bford.info/cachedir/. Modify the relevant meson source file (likely mesonbuild/coredata.py or mesonbuild/environment.py) to call this function after the build directory is set up. Ensure the file is not removed by meson's clean command. Review existing comments for any additional requirements.