Re: [PATCH 0/1] sphinx-build-wrapper: add support for skipping sphinx-build

[Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@kernel.org>]

Em Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:30:40 +0900
Akira Yokosawa <akiyks@gmail.com> escreveu:

> On Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:13:24 +0200, Mauro Carvalho Chehab wrote:
> > Hi Jon,
> > 
> > This patch adds support for not running sphinx-build at the wrapper
> > tool. It was requested by Akira, who wanted to be able to ignore
> > Sphinx errors during latex build and still try to build PDF.  
> 
> Thank you for trying to figure out my intention.
> However, you failed to see the point.
> 
> > 
> > This patch is against docs/build-script and applies after the 3 patch
> > series I sent yesterday:
> > 
> >     https://lore.kernel.org/linux-doc/cover.1758361087.git.mchehab+huawei@kernel.org/
> > 
> > 
> > While Akira's original intention is to have pdfdocs target depend on
> > latexdocs, IMO, this is overkill, as probably only Akira and a couple
> > of other developers might want to have such behavior.  
> 
> I think it is only you who don't want such behavior.

Whom else wants to use "make -i" to skip failed latexdocs build and
still do pdf builds? For what reason?

> > See, after all changes, the makefile rule for *all* doc build targets
> > is simple:
> > 
> >         $(Q)@$(srctree)/tools/docs/sphinx-pre-install --version-check
> >         +$(Q)$(PYTHON3) $(BUILD_WRAPPER) $@ \
> >                 --sphinxdirs="$(SPHINXDIRS)" $(RUSTDOC) \
> >                 --builddir="$(BUILDDIR)" --deny-vf=$(FONTS_CONF_DENY_VF) \
> >                 --theme=$(DOCS_THEME) --css=$(DOCS_CSS) --paper=$(PAPER)
> > 
> > After applying patch 1 from this series, it is really easy to replicate 
> > "make -i" by writing a small script that does:
> > 
> > 	tools/docs/sphinx-pre-install --version-check	
> > 	tools/docs/sphinx-build-wrapper latexdocs || echo "LaTeX build failed, but we'll try build PDF anyway"
> > 	tools/docs/sphinx-build-wrapper -s pdfdocs
> >   
> 
> Hello?
> 
> You are the one who is changing the way "make pdfdocs" behaves.

It doesn't change. if latex is not built, it won't try to build
PDF files, just like before.

See, for almost all targets, docs build is a two-step procedure. That
includes htmldocs as well, as it requires a post-build step to copy
css and static files. Right now, the logic is hidden inside complex
make macros.

The new logic place the target-dependent extra steps on separate functions
which are now properly documented, executing them only if the first
step works.

With the "-s" parameter, one can skip the first step, running only
the second one.

> All I want is to restore the current behavior, without any need to
> use such an ad-hoc script.

Huh?

You said you want to be able to do just the reverse: to ignore
failures at latex build ("make -i").  If you want to have exactly
the same behavior, you don't need anything.

> Sorry, but I think I have to NAK this.
> 
> Furthermore, your "cleanup" is obfuscating the very fact that "pdfdocs"
> needs a successful "latexdocs" stage.
> 
> I believe Documentation/Makefile is the right place to describe it.

If you want to propose such change, be my guest. As I said, *I* won't propose
it, as IMO it is a bad idea, but if you want, feel free to submit a patch 
after this one similar to:

	-htmldocs mandocs infodocs texinfodocs latexdocs epubdocs xmldocs pdfdocs linkcheckdocs:
	+htmldocs mandocs infodocs texinfodocs latexdocs epubdocs xmldocs linkcheckdocs:
	+
	+pdfdocs: latexdocs
	+        +$(Q)$(PYTHON3) $(BUILD_WRAPPER) $@ -s \
	+                --sphinxdirs="$(SPHINXDIRS)" \
	+                --builddir="$(BUILDDIR)" --deny-vf=$(FONTS_CONF_DENY_VF) \
	+                --paper=$(PAPER)

and let's discuss its pros/cons in separate.

Thanks,
Mauro