Structured cmakeFlags / attrs

teto · March 15, 2020, 4:29pm

I am looking for a solution for luarocks to deal with cmake based packages. The best fix would be to have structured cmakeFlags which was mentioned in [RFC 0013] Ergonomic `cmakeFlags` by aneeshusa · Pull Request #13 · NixOS/rfcs · GitHub, with PRs like [WIP/RFC] Make `cmakeFlags` more ergonomic by aneeshusa · Pull Request #17886 · NixOS/nixpkgs · GitHub.

Seems like stdenv: enable __structuredAttrs by globin · Pull Request #72074 · NixOS/nixpkgs · GitHub is the way forward.
I tried to enable __structuredAttrs = true for just my derivation but it ended up with /setup: No such file or directory errors.
1/ any quickfix to address this error ?
2/ what’s the status of stdenv 2.0 ?

Cheers

Ericson2314 · April 3, 2020, 1:34am

stdenv: enable __structuredAttrs by globin · Pull Request #72074 · NixOS/nixpkgs · GitHub is the way forward. We need to clone @globin @jtojnar 5x each so we can finish it :).

teto · April 3, 2020, 1:02pm

I dont mind helping with the workload as it is a crucial feature that could really help clean nixpkgs. But I would need some guidance and I guess it might not be easy to split the load anyway.

shamrocklee · March 28, 2024, 4:32am

In case anyone is interested, I opened a (draft) PR tackling this.

github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs

cmake: add __structuredAttrs support and cmakeDFlagAttrs interface to setup hooks

NixOS:staging ← ShamrockLee:cmake-structured-attrs

opened 01:25AM - 28 Mar 24 UTC

ShamrockLee

+146 -47

## Description of changes ### Summary Provide structural attributes suppor…t to the setup hooks of CMake, lint them with ShelllCheck, and add package tests to `cmake` to ensure that these hooks always passe ShellCheck. Fix #289037. ### New interface Provide interface to structurally specify CMake `-D` flags, i.e. `cmakeDFlagAttrs` and `cmakeDFlagEvalAttrs`. Not only can it be specified by phases/hooks run before `cmakeConfigurePhase`, but also as Nix Language attributes when `__structuralAttrs = true`. ### Questions - Naming. - Any suggestions to the new names `cmakeDFlagAttrs` and `cmakeDFlagEvalAttrs`? - Boolean and non-string type management. - Should we allow boolean and other non-string type when `cmakeDFlagAttrs` is used inside the Nix Language expression? That would be quite convenient in Nix expression level, but require an extra layer of conversion. This PR currently doesn't provide such support.  ## Things done - Built on platform(s) - [ ] x86_64-linux - [ ] aarch64-linux - [ ] x86_64-darwin - [ ] aarch64-darwin - For non-Linux: Is sandboxing enabled in `nix.conf`? (See [Nix manual](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/command-ref/conf-file.html)) - [ ] `sandbox = relaxed` - [ ] `sandbox = true` - [ ] Tested, as applicable: - [NixOS test(s)](https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/unstable/index.html#sec-nixos-tests) (look inside [nixos/tests](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/tests)) - and/or [package tests](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#sec-package-tests) - or, for functions and "core" functionality, tests in [lib/tests](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/lib/tests) or [pkgs/test](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/test) - made sure NixOS tests are [linked](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#ssec-nixos-tests-linking) to the relevant packages - [ ] Tested compilation of all packages that depend on this change using `nix-shell -p nixpkgs-review --run "nixpkgs-review rev HEAD"`. Note: all changes have to be committed, also see [nixpkgs-review usage](https://github.com/Mic92/nixpkgs-review#usage) - [ ] Tested basic functionality of all binary files (usually in `./result/bin/`) - [24.05 Release Notes](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2405.section.md) (or backporting [23.05](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2305.section.md) and [23.11](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/doc/manual/release-notes/rl-2311.section.md) Release notes) - [ ] (Package updates) Added a release notes entry if the change is major or breaking - [ ] (Module updates) Added a release notes entry if the change is significant - [ ] (Module addition) Added a release notes entry if adding a new NixOS module - [ ] Fits [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md).  --- Add a :+1: [reaction] to [pull requests you find important]. [reaction]: https://github.blog/2016-03-10-add-reactions-to-pull-requests-issues-and-comments/ [pull requests you find important]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls?q=is%3Aopen+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc

shamrocklee · September 11, 2025, 7:45pm

Here’s my second take:

github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs

cmake: setup-hooks: take structural `cmakeEntries` and `cmakeEntryTypes`

staging ← ShamrockLee:cmake-definitions

opened 11:25AM - 11 Sep 25 UTC

ShamrockLee

+252 -45

If applied, we'll be able to do ```nix { stdenv, cmake, }: stdenv.mk…Derivation { __structuredAttrs = true; nativeBuildInputs = [ cmake ]; cmakeEntries = { CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE = "RelWithDebInfo"; WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS = false; }; } ``` Aside from ```nix { lib, stdenv, cmake, }: stdenv.mkDerivation { nativeBuildInputs = [ cmake ]; cmakeFlags = [ (lib.cmakeFeature "CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE" "RelWithDebInfo") (lib.cmakeBool "WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS" false) ]; } ``` ## Things done - Built on platform: - [x] x86_64-linux - [ ] aarch64-linux - [ ] x86_64-darwin - [ ] aarch64-darwin - Tested, as applicable: - [ ] [NixOS tests] in [nixos/tests]. - [ ] [Package tests] at `passthru.tests`. - [ ] Tests in [lib/tests] or [pkgs/test] for functions and "core" functionality. - [ ] Ran `nixpkgs-review` on this PR. See [nixpkgs-review usage]. - [x] Tested basic functionality of all binary files, usually in `./result/bin/`. - Nixpkgs Release Notes - [ ] Package update: when the change is major or breaking. - NixOS Release Notes - [ ] Module addition: when adding a new NixOS module. - [ ] Module update: when the change is significant. - [ ] Fits [CONTRIBUTING.md], [pkgs/README.md], [maintainers/README.md] and other READMEs. [NixOS tests]: https://nixos.org/manual/nixos/unstable/index.html#sec-nixos-tests [Package tests]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/README.md#package-tests [nixpkgs-review usage]: https://github.com/Mic92/nixpkgs-review#usage [CONTRIBUTING.md]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md [lib/tests]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/lib/tests [maintainers/README.md]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/maintainers/README.md [nixos/tests]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/nixos/tests [pkgs/README.md]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/README.md [pkgs/test]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/test --- Add a :+1: [reaction] to [pull requests you find important]. [reaction]: https://github.blog/2016-03-10-add-reactions-to-pull-requests-issues-and-comments/ [pull requests you find important]: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pulls?q=is%3Aopen+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc

shamrocklee · June 2, 2026, 8:36pm

Given the approvals, I’m planning to merge the `cmakeEntries` PR. Could someone help take a look at the documentation and the release note?

SergeK · June 2, 2026, 10:23pm

Tangential topic (don’t feel like starting a separate thread) we on the cuda team were about to ping you on: now that we’re moving to __structuredAttrs, none of the setup-hook modified makeFlags, cmakeFlags, mesonFlags, &c are now available outside bash, i.e. in subprocesses, which is why in python3Packages.triton: 3.6.0 -> 3.7.0; python3Packages.torch: 2.11.0 -> 2.12.0 by GaetanLepage · Pull Request #519925 · NixOS/nixpkgs · GitHub we’re temporarily going to make the assumption that cmakeFlags are static.

As such, we’ll be now needing the stdenv hook to feature some logic for updating the env synchronously with updating NIX_ATTRS_JSON_FILE. Do you already have some ideas for how to tackle this?

CC @ConnorBaker @YorikSar @glepage

shamrocklee · September 17, 2026, 4:42am

Per Someone’s request, NixOS/nixpkgs PR #42017 now updates $NIX_ATTRS_JSON_FILE and the cmakeEntries/cmakeFlags shell variables simultaneously, and observe the JSON file as the source of truth.

Nevertheless, the diff of this implementation is significantly larger, which mainly consists of four CMake scripts and various getters and setters.

Please take a look!

Sigmanificient · September 17, 2026, 10:48pm

Woah, libchdr looks way nicer