libxml2 python bindings don't build by default

[Joe Locash]

Starting with v2.15.0 building the python bindings is set to off by default. Passing --with-python to configure is now needed.

[zeckma]

​https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/python-lxml/ covers packages that need the Python3 bindings for libxml2. A number of them are in BLFS. We should add --with-python to libxml2.

[Xi Ruoyao]

Replying to zeckma:

​https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/python-lxml/ covers packages that need the Python3 bindings for libxml2. A number of them are in BLFS. We should add --with-python to libxml2.

lxml is a separate package (it's already in BLFS Python modules page) and it has nothing to do with libxml2 Python bindings.

[Xi Ruoyao]

The Python bindings are supposed to be removed in libxml2-2.16 thus we shouldn't rely on it, or we'll hit errors when libxml2-2.16 is released anyway. We should just remove it.

[Xi Ruoyao]

IIRC the only thing requiring libxml2 Python binding is itstool. The libxml2 author proposed to use lxml instead: ​https://github.com/itstool/itstool/pull/57 and it's already used by some other distros.

[Xi Ruoyao]

lxml FTBFS with libxml2-2.15.0 but still it has nothing to do with the Python binding removal. See #22174.

[Xi Ruoyao]

itstool ported to lxml at r12.4-119-ge69c70cc94.

On Ubuntu the packages depending on itstool python3-libxml2 are:

    Depends: xgridfit 
    Depends: virtinst 
    Depends: daps 
    Depends: xgridfit 
    Depends: virtinst 
    Depends: python3-dmidecode 
    Depends: munin-libvirt-plugins 
    Depends: itstool 

All packages other than itstool are not in BLFS (only daps and dmidecode are listed as external dependencies and we've no guarantee the external dependencies will ever build).

[Joe Locash]

I'm seeing 1 issue (so far) with the change when doing a 'make install-docs' for postgres:

make[1]: Entering directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src'
make -C sgml install
make[2]: Entering directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src/sgml'
/usr/bin/xmllint --nonet --path . --path . --output postgres-full.xml --noent --valid postgres.sgml
ref/pg_combinebackup.sgml:287: validity error : standalone: normalization of attribute linkend on xref by external subset declaration
   state of the cluster using <xref linkend="app-pgchecksums "/> is
                                                              ^
make[2]: *** [Makefile:72: postgres-full.xml] Error 3
make[2]: *** Deleting file 'postgres-full.xml'
make[2]: Leaving directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src/sgml'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:8: install] Error 2

[Xi Ruoyao]

Replying to Joe Locash:

I'm seeing 1 issue (so far) with the change when doing a 'make install-docs' for postgres:

make[1]: Entering directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src'
make -C sgml install
make[2]: Entering directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src/sgml'
/usr/bin/xmllint --nonet --path . --path . --output postgres-full.xml --noent --valid postgres.sgml
ref/pg_combinebackup.sgml:287: validity error : standalone: normalization of attribute linkend on xref by external subset declaration
   state of the cluster using <xref linkend="app-pgchecksums "/> is
                                                              ^
make[2]: *** [Makefile:72: postgres-full.xml] Error 3
make[2]: *** Deleting file 'postgres-full.xml'
make[2]: Leaving directory '/tmp/build/postgresql-17.6/doc/src/sgml'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:8: install] Error 2

Still I cannot see how it's related to Python module or not. I guess it's libxml2-2.15.0 does not like the extra whitespace before "...

[Xi Ruoyao]

Replying to Joe Locash:

I'm seeing 1 issue (so far) with the change when doing a 'make install-docs' for postgres:

Try ​https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/commit/da45a190f718e8e2f0e3d2a6325ffa23abc8b90c?

[Joe Locash]

Replying to Xi Ruoyao:

Replying to Joe Locash:

I'm seeing 1 issue (so far) with the change when doing a 'make install-docs' for postgres:

Try ​https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/commit/da45a190f718e8e2f0e3d2a6325ffa23abc8b90c?

That fixes it.

[Xi Ruoyao]

Replying to Joe Locash:

Replying to Xi Ruoyao:

Replying to Joe Locash:

I'm seeing 1 issue (so far) with the change when doing a 'make install-docs' for postgres:

Try ​https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/commit/da45a190f718e8e2f0e3d2a6325ffa23abc8b90c?

That fixes it.

Applied at r12.4-132-g917db9bb3a.

[Xi Ruoyao]

BTW the fix above is also needed to render BLFS itself correctly: without it the empty "Download (FTP)" entries are not removed.

[Xi Ruoyao]

r12.4-134-gbf3acd044a

[Bruce Dubbs]

Milestone renamed