GNOME Doc Utils-0.6.1 --- 'gnome-doc-utils.pc' <=/=> Python

[Matthias Berndt]

'gnome-doc-utils.pc' isn't installed, when Python in unavailable, but required to build evince for example.

I'm not sure if Python should be a required dependency or if it's a bug in GNOME Doc Utils.

Any suggenstions?

[Randy McMurchy]

I'm not sure I understand this ticket. What exactly is the issue that needs fixing?

Python is a 'recommended' dependency and a big note is on the page explaining that if you don't install Python, much of GNOME Doc Utils functionality will be missing.

If there's no update or discussion about this ticket, I'll close it in a week or so.

[Matthias Berndt]

I'll try to explain.

GNOME Doc Utils are a dependecy of Evince. Evince is looking for 'gnome-doc-utils.pc' to determine if GNOME Doc Utils are installed. So 'gnome-doc-utils.pc' is required to compile Evince without hacking. 'gnome-doc-utils.pc' isn't installed without Python, but there isn't any need of Python to run or use GNOME Doc Utils or/and Evince.

I've reported this issue in gnome's bugtracking system and it looks like this issue will be fixed in upstream next time.

At the momenent no package will pass configure if it needs 'gnome-doc-utils.pc' and GNOME Doc Utils are installed without Python.

[Randy McMurchy]

I believe you are overlooking the fact that BLFS *recommends* you install Python as a dependency. Furthermore, you are warned that if you don't install Python, bad things will happen.

What more possibly can we do? If one wants to disregard BLFS' recommendation and not install Python, he/she is on their own.

[Matthias Berndt]

I'd like to define recommendation as something usefull and nice to have and not required to build dependening packages.

If you define it like --- 'can be build without' --- you are right.

Close the ticket if you think so and I'll notice when this issue if fixed head and GNOME Doc Utils's next release.

[dnicholson@…]

I just took a look, and this package is pretty much useless without Python. All you get without Python are the xml, xsl and documentation files. Python is needed to run xml2po, which is needed to use gnome-doc-utils.make, which is used by tons of GNOME applications. This package shouldn't even build without Python.

But since the .pc file just tells other packages where to find the xsl files, then it should be included whether Python is there or not. I think this would work, but I haven't tested:

sed -i 's/@ENABLE.*@pkgconfig/pkgconfig/' Makefile.in

Then the pkgconfig file will be pulled into install-data-local. This just shortcuts the real fix in the upstream bug:

​http://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=72635&action=view

[dnicholson@…]

I decided to just fix this since it's already being done upstream.

Fixed in r6339.