463775 - flat dist/bin/modules/ and EXTRA_JS_MODULES is insufficient for complex javascript code

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 887958

(Firefox Build System :: General, defect)

Description

[Andrew Sutherland [:asuth] (he/him)]

We have recently migrated a complex javascript extension into MailNews' core.  This code was organized with its own modules/ directory when it was an extension.  When moving it into mailnews, we adapted it by using EXTRA_JS_MODULES to install its files.

The problem is that there is now a chance for file collision unless we rename the files to have silly names.

It seems like the alternatives are either to expand the js module installation  mechanism to have a variable like EXTRA_JS_MODULE_DIR which is appended to modules/, or to say "don't do that" and have us put the modules inside a jar file.  I have a vague preference towards the former, if only because when I perform my own build the files end up symlinked without any effort on my part.  (Whereas, I know there's a way to get the jar-ing mechanism to do symlinks, but I haven't looked into how one would to this.)

Comment 1

[Benjamin Smedberg]

I don't think we want to add generic rules for this. Put an appropriate rule in your app makefile to install them where you want.

Comment 2

[Gregory Szorc [:gps]]

Whatever this was asking for will likely be delivered as part of bug 887958.