CAPI 2 VPI include and library directories

[GCHQDeveloper560]

I am trying to get a VPI module working with FuseSoC that makes use of a library not installed in a standard location. Compiling the module therefore requires the use of -I and -L to point to the /library/path/include and /library/path/lib.

CAPI 1 supported an include_dirs field, but CAPI 2 does not. CAPI 2 constructs something similar from any include files explicitly specified in a fileset. However, since I believe absolute paths aren't supported the workaround of specifying /library/path/include/inc1.h for at least one file doesn't work.

Neither core format appears to support a way to specify -L.

Would it make sense to add include_dirs and lib_dirs for CAPI 2 or is there a better approach?

[GCHQDeveloper560]

Actually the workaround for include_dirs does work even with absolute paths. It's specifying something like /path/to/module.cpp that causes a PyYAML explosion. So, adding a single include file to the fileset would work for include_dirs but doesn't solve handling -L

[olofk]

Ok, so the -I case is taken care of? I remember having absolute paths as a use case when designing this, but can't remember all the details. Question then is what to do with -L. I don't have enough use cases to figure out if adding a lib_dirs entry would be enough or we will soon realize there's also a need to add this_dirs and that_dirs too.

Should we go for an entry for adding custom options instead? Maybe even a build_command instead to allow users to specify a separate build script or Makefile in case the build instructions get more complicated? But then we could perhaps use a generator instead? I don't know. It's tricky

[johnathan-convertino-afrl]

I did preform a bit of a hack to get libraries to work in my case.

filesets:
   lib :
    files :
      - lib/C89_pthread_ring_buffer/libringBuffer.a : {file_type : user, copyto : libringBuffer.a}
vpi:
  bin_file_io_vpi:
    filesets : [src, header]
    libs : [ringBuffer -L., pthread]

Copied to the root of the icarus sim, and then just appended -L. at the end of the library name. Totally a hack way of doing it.