Re: [docs] [PATCH v2 3/5] doc: bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables: expand and reorganize BBMASK explanations

[Quentin Schulz <quentin.schulz@cherry.de>]

Hi Antonin,

On 2/17/26 11:18 AM, Antonin Godard wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Mon Feb 16, 2026 at 11:36 AM CET, Quentin Schulz via lists.yoctoproject.org wrote:
>> From: Quentin Schulz <quentin.schulz@cherry.de>
>>
>> The documentation doesn't explain the side-effect of putting a leading
>> slash, only the trailing slash.
>>
>> The leading slash is not for making the regular expression match an
>> absolute path, but to force the match on the directory or file that
>> exactly starts (and ends if there is a trailing slash) with the
>> specified string. So let's explain that.
>>
>> This also explains that this doesn't prevent more than the intended path
>> to be caught, specifically because it is NOT a regular expression
>> matching an absolute path.
>>
>> Because any pattern not starting with a ^ character can match multiple
>> directories from multiple directories, let's make the usage of
>> BBFILE_PATTERN_my-layer the recommended one. Keep the rest as hints at
>> what can happen when not using but reiterate what users should be using.
>>
>> Reported-by: Robert P. J. Day <rpjday@crashcourse.ca>
>> Signed-off-by: Quentin Schulz <quentin.schulz@cherry.de>
>> ---
>>   .../bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables.rst          | 87 +++++++++++++++++++---
>>   1 file changed, 78 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/doc/bitbake-user-manual/bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables.rst b/doc/bitbake-user-manual/bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables.rst
>> index f20a9012c..06e1112b5 100644
>> --- a/doc/bitbake-user-manual/bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables.rst
>> +++ b/doc/bitbake-user-manual/bitbake-user-manual-ref-variables.rst
>> @@ -1052,24 +1052,93 @@ overview of their function and contents.
>>   
>>         The following example uses a complete regular expression to tell
>>         BitBake to ignore all recipe and recipe append files in
>> -      ``meta-ti/recipes-misc/`` directories (and their subdirectories)::
>> +      ``recipes-bsp`` directory (recursively) of ``meta-ti``::
>>   
>> -         BBMASK = "/meta-ti/recipes-misc/"
>> +         BBMASK = "${BBFILE_PATTERN_meta-ti}/recipes-bsp/"
>>   
>>         If you want to mask out multiple directories or recipes, you can
>>         specify multiple regular expression fragments. This next example
>>         masks out multiple directories and individual recipes::
>>   
>> -         BBMASK += "/meta-ti/recipes-ti/packagegroup/"
>> -         BBMASK += "/meta-oe/recipes-support/"
>> -         BBMASK += "/meta-foo/.*/openldap"
>> -         BBMASK += "opencv.*\.bbappend"
>> -         BBMASK += "lzma"
>> +         BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_meta-ti}/recipes-graphics/libgal/"
>> +         BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_openembedded-layer}/recipes-support/"
>> +         BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_openembedded-layer}/.*/openldap"
>> +         BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_meta-ti}/.*/optee.*\.bbappend"
>> +
>> +      This masks the ``recipes-graphics/libgal/`` from ``meta-ti``, everything
>> +      under ``recipes-support`` in ``meta-oe``, every directory or file whose
>> +      name starts with ``openldap`` in ``meta-oe`` at any directory depth > 1
>> +      (e.g. in ``meta-oe``, ``recipes-foo/openldap-stuff/`` or
>> +      ``recipes-bar/baz/openldap_0.1.bb`` but not ``openldap/``), every append
>> +      file in ``meta-ti`` at any directory depth > 1 (e.g.
> 
> s/every append file/every append file starting with ``optee``/ ?
> 

I'm going for:

every append file whose name starts with ``optee`` in

does that work for you?

>> +      ``optee/optee-examples_%.bbappend`` and
>> +      ``recipes-security/optee/optee-client_%.bbappend``).
>>   
>>         .. note::
>>   
>> -         When specifying a directory name, use the trailing slash character
>> -         to ensure you match just that directory name.
>> +         Because these are complete regular expressions, if you want to match a
>> +         directory and not a file, you must end the expression with a trailing
>> +         slash. That is::
>> +
>> +            BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_meta-ti}/recipes-graphics/libgal/"
>> +
>> +         Will match anything under ``recipes-graphics/ligbal/`` directory of
>> +         ``meta-ti``. And::
>> +
>> +            BBMASK += "${BBFILE_PATTERN_meta-ti}/recipes-graphics/libgal"
>> +
>> +         Will match in ``meta-ti`` any file prefixed with ``libgal`` in
>> +         ``recipes-graphics/`` and any directory (recursively; and its
>> +         recipes and recipe append files regardless how they are named) prefixed
>> +         with ``libgal`` in ``recipes-graphics/``. That is, provided your layers
>> +         are available at ``/build/layers/``, it'll match::
> 
> s/build/builds/
> 

Mmmm.. Now to come to think of it, should I use

/bitbake-builds/poky-master-poky-distro_poky-machine_qemux86-64/layers/

instead? It would match the instructions in 
doc/bitbake-user-manual/bitbake-user-manual-environment-setup.rst (but 
it'll make for very long lines :/).

Cheers,
Quentin