--- /dev/null
+// -*- mode:doc; -*-
+// vim: set syntax=asciidoc:
+
+=== Infrastructure for Python packages
+
+This infrastructure applies to Python packages that use the standard
+Python setuptools mechanism as their build system, generally
+recognizable by the usage of a +setup.py+ script.
+
+[[python-package-tutorial]]
+
+==== +python-package+ tutorial
+
+First, let's see how to write a +.mk+ file for a Python package,
+with an example :
+
+------------------------
+01: ################################################################################
+02: #
+03: # python-foo
+04: #
+05: ################################################################################
+06:
+07: PYTHON_FOO_VERSION = 1.0
+08: PYTHON_FOO_SOURCE = python-foo-$(PYTHON_FOO_VERSION).tar.xz
+09: PYTHON_FOO_SITE = http://www.foosoftware.org/download
+10: PYTHON_FOO_LICENSE = BSD-3c
+11: PYTHON_FOO_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
+12: PYTHON_FOO_ENV = SOME_VAR=1
+13: PYTHON_FOO_DEPENDENCIES = libmad
+14: PYTHON_FOO_SETUP_TYPE = distutils
+15:
+16: $(eval $(python-package))
+------------------------
+
+On line 7, we declare the version of the package.
+
+On line 8 and 9, we declare the name of the tarball (xz-ed tarball
+recommended) and the location of the tarball on the Web. Buildroot
+will automatically download the tarball from this location.
+
+On line 10 and 11, we give licensing details about the package (its
+license on line 10, and the file containing the license text on line
+11).
+
+On line 12, we tell Buildroot to pass custom options to the Python
++setup.py+ script when it is configuring the package.
+
+On line 13, we declare our dependencies, so that they are built
+before the build process of our package starts.
+
+On line 14, we declare the specific Python build system being used. In
+this case the +distutils+ Python build system is used. The two
+supported ones are +distutils+ and +setuptools+.
+
+Finally, on line 16, we invoke the +python-package+ macro that
+generates all the Makefile rules that actually allow the package to be
+built.
+
+[[python-package-reference]]
+
+==== +python-package+ reference
+
+As a policy, packages that merely provide Python modules should all be
+named +python-<something>+ in Buildroot. Other packages that use the
+Python build system, but are not Python modules, can freely choose
+their name (existing examples in Buildroot are +scons+ and
++supervisor+).
+
+In their +Config.in+ file, they should depend on +BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON+
+so that when Buildroot will enable Python 3 usage for modules, we will
+be able to enable Python modules progressively on Python 3.
+
+The main macro of the Python package infrastructure is
++python-package+. It is similar to the +generic-package+ macro. It is
+also possible to create Python host packages with the
++host-python-package+ macro.
+
+Just like the generic infrastructure, the Python infrastructure works
+by defining a number of variables before calling the +python-package+
+or +host-python-package+ macros.
+
+All the package metadata information variables that exist in the
+xref:generic-package-reference[generic package infrastructure] also
+exist in the Python infrastructure: +PYTHON_FOO_VERSION+,
++PYTHON_FOO_SOURCE+, +PYTHON_FOO_PATCH+, +PYTHON_FOO_SITE+,
++PYTHON_FOO_SUBDIR+, +PYTHON_FOO_DEPENDENCIES+, +PYTHON_FOO_LICENSE+,
++PYTHON_FOO_LICENSE_FILES+, +PYTHON_FOO_INSTALL_STAGING+, etc.
+
+Note that:
+
+ * It is not necessary to add +python+ or +host-python+ in the
+ +PYTHON_FOO_DEPENDENCIES+ variable of a package, since these basic
+ dependencies are automatically added as needed by the Python
+ package infrastructure.
+
+ * Similarly, it is not needed to add +host-setuptools+ and/or
+ +host-distutilscross+ dependencies to +PYTHON_FOO_DEPENDENCIES+ for
+ setuptools-based packages, since these are automatically added by
+ the Python infrastructure as needed.
+
+One variable specific to the Python infrastructure is mandatory:
+
+* +PYTHON_FOO_SETUP_TYPE+, to define which Python build system is used
+ by the package. The two supported values are +distutils+ and
+ +setuptools+. If you don't know which one is used in your package,
+ look at the +setup.py+ file in your package source code, and see
+ whether it imports things from the +distutils+ module or the
+ +setuptools+ module.
+
+A few additional variables, specific to the Python infrastructure, can
+optionally be defined, depending on the package's needs. Many of them
+are only useful in very specific cases, typical packages will
+therefore only use a few of them, or none.
+
+* +PYTHON_FOO_ENV+, to specify additional environment variables to
+ pass to the Python +setup.py+ script (for both the build and install
+ steps). Note that the infrastructure is automatically passing
+ several standard variables, defined in +PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_ENV+
+ (for distutils target packages), +HOST_PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_ENV+
+ (for distutils host packages), +PKG_PYTHON_SETUPTOOLS_ENV+ (for
+ setuptools target packages) and +HOST_PKG_PYTHON_SETUPTOOLS_ENV+
+ (for setuptools host packages).
+
+* +PYTHON_FOO_BUILD_OPTS+, to specify additional options to pass to the
+ Python +setup.py+ script during the build step. For target distutils
+ packages, the +PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_BUILD_OPTS+ options are already
+ passed automatically by the infrastructure.
+
+* +PYTHON_FOO_INSTALL_TARGET_OPTS+, +PYTHON_FOO_INSTALL_STAGING_OPTS+,
+ +HOST_PYTHON_FOO_INSTALL_OPTS+ to specify additional options to pass
+ to the Python +setup.py+ script during the target installation step,
+ the staging installation step or the host installation,
+ respectively. Note that the infrastructure is automatically passing
+ some options, defined in +PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_INSTALL_TARGET_OPTS+
+ or +PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_INSTALL_STAGING_OPTS+ (for target distutils
+ packages), +HOST_PKG_PYTHON_DISTUTILS_INSTALL_OPTS+ (for host
+ distutils packages), +PKG_PYTHON_SETUPTOOLS_INSTALL_TARGET_OPTS+ or
+ +PKG_PYTHON_SETUPTOOLS_INSTALL_STAGING_OPTS+ (for target setuptools
+ packages) and +HOST_PKG_PYTHON_SETUPTOOLS_INSTALL_OPTS+ (for host
+ setuptools packages).
+
+* +HOST_PYTHON_FOO_NEEDS_HOST_PYTHON+, to define the host python
+ interpreter. The usage of this variable is limited to host
+ packages. The two supported value are +python2+ and +python3+. It
+ will ensures the right host python package is available and will
+ invoke it for the build. If some build steps are overloaded, the
+ right python interpreter must be explicitly called in the commands.
+
+With the Python infrastructure, all the steps required to build and
+install the packages are already defined, and they generally work well
+for most Python-based packages. However, when required, it is still
+possible to customize what is done in any particular step:
+
+* By adding a post-operation hook (after extract, patch, configure,
+ build or install). See xref:hooks[] for details.
+
+* By overriding one of the steps. For example, even if the Python
+ infrastructure is used, if the package +.mk+ file defines its own
+ +PYTHON_FOO_BUILD_CMDS+ variable, it will be used instead of the
+ default Python one. However, using this method should be restricted
+ to very specific cases. Do not use it in the general case.