Re: [PATCH v3 0/8] Collect documentation-related tools under /tools/docs

[Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>]

Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> writes:

>> 3. change the core of the logic to be something like:
>> 
>> 	# kerneldoc_bin = env.config.kerneldoc_bin
>> 	kerneldoc_bin = os.environ.get("KERNELDOC")
>> 
>> 	if not kerneldoc_bin:
>> 	   out_style = RestFormat()
>> 	   kfiles = KernelFiles(out_style=out_style, logger=logger)
>> 	else:
>> 	    print(f"Generating C documentation by running {kerneldoc_bin} binary")
>> 
>>    this would still allow using KERNELDOC to point to a binary
>>    that will handle C files executed as a separate process.
>
> This seems like an obvious improvement, and one that, perhaps, should go
> in ahead of my current series in the perhaps vain hope that we're
> finally getting to the end of the list of things I can find to break...
>
> I can send a patch around in the next couple of days if you don't beat
> me to it.

So I have that change working just fine ... only one problem.

For this to work, we have to take out the definition of KERNELDOC in the
top-level Makefile, otherwise we'll never go the import path.  But there
are a few other Makefiles, mostly in the DRM area, that need that
definition.  So I have the docs build working, but I've broken other
things, and I think people are getting tired of me breaking things.

Possible solutions:

- Add a new FORCE_KDOC environment variable that is used instead of
  KERNELDOC to set the program to run in the docs build.

- Keep the current logic that special-cases setting KERNELDOC to
  scripts/kernel-doc.py and really runs in the imported mode in that
  case.

- Go into retirement and let it be somebody else's problem

Anybody have any other great ideas?

Thanks,

jon