diff --git a/doc/cabal-package-description-file.rst b/doc/cabal-package-description-file.rst index ceceb36d2ef..852829fcf44 100644 --- a/doc/cabal-package-description-file.rst +++ b/doc/cabal-package-description-file.rst @@ -1,22 +1,17 @@ Package Description — .cabal File ========================================== -The package description file, commonly known as "the Cabal file", -describes the contents of a package. -The Cabal package is the unit of distribution. When installed, its -purpose is to make available: +The package description file, commonly known as "the Cabal file", describes the +contents of a package. The Cabal package is the unit of distribution. When +installed, its purpose is to make available one or more: -- One or more Haskell programs (executables). +- Haskell programs (executables); and/or -- One or more libraries, exposing a number of Haskell modules. +- libraries, exposing a number of Haskell modules. -However having both a library and executables in a package does not work -very well; if the executables depend on the library, they must -explicitly list all the modules they directly or indirectly import from -that library. Fortunately, starting with Cabal 1.8.0.4, executables can -also declare the package that they are in as a dependency, and Cabal -will treat them as if they were in another package that depended on the -library. +Public library components can be depended upon by other Cabal packages and all +library components (both public and private) can be depended upon by other +components of the same package. Internally, the package may consist of much more than a bunch of Haskell modules: it may also have C source code and header files, source code @@ -803,18 +798,65 @@ Library Build information for libraries. - A package can have one default library, which is identified by omitting the - ``name`` argument. + A package can include zero or more library components. A library can be + unnamed or named (using the ``name`` argument). It can also be depended upon + only by components in the same package (private) or by those components and + components in other packages (public). A package can have no more than one + unnamed library. - Starting with Cabal 2.0, sub-library components can be defined by setting - the ``name`` field to a name different from the current package's name; see - section on :ref:`Sublibraries ` for more information. By - default, these sub-libraries are private and internal. Since Cabal 3.0, - these sub-libraries can also be exposed and used by other packages. See the - :pkg-field:`library:visibility` field and :ref:`Multiple Public Libraries - ` for more information. + .. Note:: + + The 'cabal' executable provided by the 'cabal-install' package will not + accept dependencies on sublibraries of packages with no unnamed library. + + This guide refers to an unnamed library as the main library and a named + library as a sublibrary (such components may be considered as subidiary, or + ancillary, to the main library). It refers to a private sublibrary as an + internal library. + + A sublibrary cannot have the same name as its package. + + .. Note:: + + Before version 3.4 of the Cabal specification, a private sublibrary could + shadow a dependency on the main library of another package, if their + names clashed. + + A main library is always public and a sublibrary is private by default. + See the :pkg-field:`library:visibility` field for setting a sublibrary as + public. + + Being able to include more than one public library in a package allows the + separation of the unit of distribution (the package) from the unit of + buildable code (the library). This is useful for Haskell projects with many + libraries that are distributed together as it avoids duplication and + potential inconsistencies. + + .. Note:: + + Before version 3.0 of the Cabal specification, all sublibraries were + internal libraries. Before version 2.0, a package could not include + sublibraries. + + See :ref:`Sublibraries - Examples ` for examples. + +A library section should contain the following fields: + +.. pkg-field:: visibility: visibility specifiers + + :since: 3.0 + + :default: + ``private`` for sublibraries. Cannot be set for the main library, which + is always public. -The library section should contain the following fields: + Can be set to ``private`` or ``public``. A ``private`` library component can + only be depended on by other components of the same package. A ``public`` + component can be depended on by those components and by components of other + packages. + + See the :pkg-field:`build-depends` field for the syntax to specify a + dependency on a library component. .. pkg-field:: exposed-modules: identifier list @@ -849,23 +891,6 @@ The library section should contain the following fields: that use a flat module namespace or where it is known that the exposed modules would clash with other common modules. -.. pkg-field:: visibility: visibility specifiers - - :since: 3.0 - - :default: - ``private`` for sublibraries. Cannot be set for main - (unnamed) library, which is always public. - - Can be ``public`` or ``private``. - Makes it possible to have multiple public libraries in a single package. - If set to ``public``, depending on this library from another package is - allowed. If set to ``private``, depending on this library is allowed only - from the same package. - - See section on :ref:`Sublibraries ` for examples and more - information. - .. pkg-field:: reexported-modules: exportlist :since: 1.22 @@ -905,22 +930,21 @@ section on `build information`_). .. _sublibs: -**Sublibraries** +**Sublibraries - Examples** -Cabal 2.0 and later support "sublibraries", which are extra named -libraries (as opposed to the usual unnamed library section). For -example, suppose that your test suite needs access to some internal -modules in your library, which you do not otherwise want to export. You -could put these modules in a sublibrary, which the main library -and the test suite :pkg-field:`build-depends` upon. Then your Cabal file might -look something like this: +An example of the use of a private sublibrary (an internal library) is a test +suite that needs access to some internal modules in the package's main library, +which you do not otherwise want to expose. You could put those modules in an +internal library, which the main library and the test suite +:pkg-field:`build-depends` upon. Your Cabal file might then look something like +this: :: - cabal-version: 2.0 + cabal-version: 3.4 name: foo version: 0.1.0.0 - license: BSD3 + license: BSD-3-Clause license-file: LICENSE build-type: Simple @@ -933,7 +957,7 @@ look something like this: library exposed-modules: Foo.Public - build-depends: foo-internal, base >= 4.3 && < 5 + build-depends: foo:foo-internal, base >= 4.3 && < 5 default-language: Haskell2010 test-suite test-foo @@ -941,26 +965,19 @@ look something like this: main-is: test-foo.hs -- NOTE: no constraints on 'foo-internal' as same-package -- dependencies implicitly refer to the same package instance - build-depends: foo-internal, base + build-depends: foo:foo-internal, base default-language: Haskell2010 -Sublibraries are also useful for packages that define multiple -executables, but do not define a publicly accessible library. Internal -libraries are only visible internally in the package (so they can only -be added to the :pkg-field:`build-depends` of same-package libraries, -executables, test suites, etc.) Sublibraries locally shadow any -packages which have the same name; consequently, don't name an internal -library with the same name as an external dependency if you need to be -able to refer to the external dependency in a -:pkg-field:`build-depends` declaration. +Another example of the use of internal libraries is a package that includes one +or more executables but does not include a public library. -Shadowing can be used to vendor an external dependency into a package -and thus emulate *private dependencies*. Below is an example based on -a real-world use case: +Internal libraries can be used to incorporate (vendor or bundle) an external +dependency into a package, effectively simulating *private dependencies*. Below +is an example: :: - cabal-version: 3.0 + cabal-version: 3.4 name: haddock-library version: 1.6.0 license: BSD-3-Clause @@ -975,7 +992,7 @@ a real-world use case: hs-source-dirs: src -- internal sub-lib - build-depends: attoparsec + build-depends: haddock-library:attoparsec exposed-modules: Documentation.Haddock @@ -1003,25 +1020,6 @@ a real-world use case: default-language: Haskell2010 -.. note:: - For packages using ``cabal-version: 3.4`` or higher, the syntax to - specify a sublibrary in a ``build-depends:`` section is - ``package-name:internal-library-name``. - -.. _publicsublibs: - -**Multiple Public Libraries** - -Cabal 3.0 and later support exposing multiple libraries from a single package -through the field :pkg-field:`library:visibility`. -Having multiple public libraries is useful for separating the unit of -distribution (package) from the unit of buildable code (library). -For more information about the rationale and some examples, see -`this blog post `__. - -.. - TODO inline the blog post - Executables ^^^^^^^^^^^ @@ -1456,24 +1454,30 @@ system-dependent values for these fields. .. pkg-field:: build-depends: library list - Declares the *library* dependencies required to build the current - package component; see :pkg-field:`build-tool-depends` for - declaring build-time *tool* dependencies. External library - dependencies should be annotated with a version constraint. + Declares the dependencies on *library* components required to build the + current package component. See :pkg-field:`build-tool-depends` for declaring + dependencies on build-time *tools*. Dependencies on libraries from another + package should be annotated with a version constraint. **Library Names** - External libraries are identified by the package's name they're - provided by, optionally followed by a colon and the library name - (available from ``cabal-version: 3.0``). - If the library name is absent, the main (unnamed) library will be used. - To refer to the main (unnamed) library explicitly, use the name of the - package (``foo:foo``). - Multiple libraries from the same package can be specified with the shorthand - syntax ``pkg:{lib1,lib2}```. - - See section on :ref:`Multiple Public Libraries ` for examples and more - information. + A library is identified by the name of its package, optionally followed by a + colon and the library's name (for example, ``my-package:my-library``). If a + library name is omitted, the package's main library will be used. To refer + expressly to a package's main library, use the name of the package as the + library name (for example, ``my-package:my-package``). More than one library + from the same package can be specified with the shorthand syntax + ``my-package:{my-library1,my-library2}``. + + .. Note:: + + Before version 3.4 of the Cabal specification, from version 2.0, a + private sublibrary (an internal library) was identified by only the name + of the sublibrary. An internal library could shadow a dependency on the + main library of another package, if the names clashed. + + See the section on :pkg-section:`library` for information about how a + package can specify library components. **Version Constraints**