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subp:opt=value in main project's default_options is overridden by opt=value from command line since meson 1.8.4 #14963

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Merged
merged 4 commits into from
Sep 15, 2025
Merged

subp:opt=value in main project's default_options is overridden by opt=value from command line since meson 1.8.4 #14963

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2b2e9ed
options: put back in place 1.7 ordering of opt=value vs subp:opt=value
bonzini Aug 26, 2025
42ef07c
Revert "tests: skip test common/223 in the -Ddefault_library=... jobs"
bonzini Aug 26, 2025
6478fdf
Revert "test cases: do not pass global option on command line"
bonzini Aug 26, 2025
fba080d
docs: fix pre-1.8 order for per-subproject options
bonzini Aug 26, 2025
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3 changes: 0 additions & 3 deletions .github/workflows/os_comp.yml
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -100,12 +100,10 @@ jobs:
- CC: 'gcc'
CXX: 'g++'
- MESON_ARGS: '--unity=on -Ddefault_library=static'
MESON_TEST_DDEFAULT_LIBRARY: yes
RUN_TESTS_ARGS: '--no-unittests'
CC: 'gcc'
CXX: 'g++'
- MESON_ARGS: '-Ddefault_library=both'
MESON_TEST_DDEFAULT_LIBRARY: yes
RUN_TESTS_ARGS: '--no-unittests'
CC: 'gcc'
CXX: 'g++'
Expand All @@ -132,7 +130,6 @@ jobs:
env:
MESON_RSP_THRESHOLD: ${{ matrix.cfg.MESON_RSP_THRESHOLD }}
MESON_ARGS: ${{ matrix.cfg.MESON_ARGS }}
MESON_TEST_DDEFAULT_LIBRARY: ${{ matrix.cfg.MESON_TEST_DDEFAULT_LIBRARY }}
RUN_TESTS_ARGS: ${{ matrix.cfg.RUN_TESTS_ARGS }}
CC: ${{ matrix.cfg.CC }}
CXX: ${{ matrix.cfg.CXX }}
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19 changes: 12 additions & 7 deletions docs/markdown/Builtin-options.md
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Expand Up @@ -384,10 +384,10 @@ command line: `-Dfoo:default_library=static`.
The value is overridden in this order:
- `opt=value` from parent project's `default_options`
- `opt=value` from subproject's `default_options`
- `subp:opt=value` from parent project's default options
- `opt=value` from `subproject()` `default_options`
- `opt=value` from machine file
- `opt=value` from command line
- `subp:opt=value` from parent project's default options
- `opt=value` from `subproject()` `default_options`
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This seems incorrect. The command line should override anything set in project files. (given the description this list is sorted on increasing precedence)

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That was also what I thought when preparing the changes that went into 1.8.4. But it turns out that making two separate groups for global settings and augments (the machine file and command line winning in each group only) is more useful, and there are projects in the wild that rely on it.

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How is it more useful specifically?

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For example you can give -Dwerror=true but meson.build can override it to false for subprojects that are known to not behave; likewise for -Dwarning_level. It is also more in line with how default_library works in pre-1.8 releases (see the reverted test changes in this PR).

Besides, we got reports like #15006 where the new ordering breaks existing projects that worked before 1.8.4. I didn't have much time to debug what exactly caused the breakage, but this patch does fix it. So, while overall the new option code is now tamed, I think this part has to be rolled back.

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Even the documentation says so:

This is useful, for example, when building shared libraries in the main project and statically linking a subproject, or when the main project must build with no warnings but some subprojects cannot.

But the trick doesn't work anymore in 1.8.4

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The problem here seems to be that the table collates two different things making it hard to comprehend. Maybe it should be split in two, with a structure like:

  • Per-subproject settings always override the default value, no matter how or where they are defined
  • When configuring for the first time, values for options (and overrides) are used in the following order

And maybe have the array in decreasing order of priority, as that seems to be the more logical order.

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Even that is not unambiguously true, though I agree it's as close as you can get, because -Dopt does override "opt=value from subproject's default_options" which is subproject-specific. So I don't think it's much better than listing the possibilities one by one.

That said do you agree now that the ordering as implemented by the patch makes sense?

- `subp:opt=value` from machine file
- `subp:opt=value` from command line

Expand All @@ -400,12 +400,17 @@ Between *0.54.0* and *1.7.x* only a few options could be defined per subproject:

The value was overridden in this order:

- Value from parent project
- Value from subproject's `default_options`
- Value from `subproject()` `default_options`
- Value from machine file
- Value from command line
- `opt=value` from parent project's `default_options`
- `opt=value` from machine file
- `opt=value` from command line
- `opt=value` from subproject's `default_options`
- `subp:opt=value` from parent project's default options
- `opt=value` from `subproject()` `default_options`
- `subp:opt=value` from machine file
- `subp:opt=value` from command line

In other word, the subproject's `default_options` had a *higher* priority
than `opt=value` from machine file or command line.

## Module options

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16 changes: 8 additions & 8 deletions mesonbuild/options.py
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Expand Up @@ -1380,6 +1380,14 @@ def initialize_from_subproject_call(self,
key = key.evolve(subproject=subproject)
options[key] = valstr

# then global settings from machine file and command line
# **but not if they are toplevel project options**
for key, valstr in itertools.chain(machine_file_options.items(), cmd_line_options.items()):
if key.subproject is None and not self.is_project_option(key.as_root()):
subp_key = key.evolve(subproject=subproject)
# just leave in place the value that was set for the toplevel project
options.pop(subp_key, None)

# augments from the toplevel project() default_options
for key, valstr in self.pending_subproject_options.items():
if key.subproject == subproject:
Expand All @@ -1395,14 +1403,6 @@ def initialize_from_subproject_call(self,
key = key.evolve(subproject=subproject)
options[key] = valstr

# then global settings from machine file and command line
# **but not if they are toplevel project options**
for key, valstr in itertools.chain(machine_file_options.items(), cmd_line_options.items()):
if key.subproject is None and not self.is_project_option(key.as_root()):
subp_key = key.evolve(subproject=subproject)
self.pending_subproject_options.pop(subp_key, None)
options.pop(subp_key, None)

# then finally per project augments from machine file and command line
for key, valstr in itertools.chain(machine_file_options.items(), cmd_line_options.items()):
if key.subproject == subproject:
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion test cases/common/223 persubproject options/meson.build
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@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
project('persubproject options', 'c', 'cpp',
default_options : ['werror=true', 'default_library=both',
default_options : ['werror=true',
'warning_level=3',
'cpp_std=c++11'])

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6 changes: 5 additions & 1 deletion test cases/common/223 persubproject options/test.json
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@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
{
"skip_on_env": ["MESON_TEST_DDEFAULT_LIBRARY"]
"matrix": {
"options": {
"default_library": [ { "val": "both" } ]
}
}
}
13 changes: 3 additions & 10 deletions unittests/machinefiletests.py
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Expand Up @@ -563,18 +563,11 @@ def test_builtin_options_machinefile_overrides_subproject(self):
check = cm.exception.stdout
self.assertIn(check, 'Parent should override default_library')

def test_builtin_options_machinefile_global_overrides_subproject(self):
# The buildfile says subproject(... default_library: static), ensure that's overridden
def test_builtin_options_machinefile_global_loses_over_subproject(self):
# The buildfile says subproject(... default_library: static), ensure that it overrides the machinefile
testcase = os.path.join(self.common_test_dir, '223 persubproject options')
config = self.helper_create_native_file({'built-in options': {'default_library': 'both'}})

with self.assertRaises((RuntimeError, subprocess.CalledProcessError)) as cm:
self.init(testcase, extra_args=['--native-file', config])
if isinstance(cm, RuntimeError):
check = str(cm.exception)
else:
check = cm.exception.stdout
self.assertIn(check, 'Parent should override default_library')
self.init(testcase, extra_args=['--native-file', config])

def test_builtin_options_compiler_properties(self):
# the properties section can have lang_args, and those need to be
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