broken ncurses support in current cvs and last distribution

[mmokrejs]

BPO	748926
Nosy	@loewis

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2003-07-01.17:15:13.000>
created_at = <Date 2003-06-04.15:23:40.000>
labels = []
title = 'broken ncurses support in current cvs and last distribution'
updated_at = <Date 2003-07-01.17:15:13.000>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/mmokrejs'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2003-07-01.17:15:13.000>
actor = 'loewis'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['None']
creation = <Date 2003-06-04.15:23:40.000>
creator = 'mmokrejs'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 748926
keywords = []
message_count = 8.0
messages = ['16233', '16234', '16235', '16236', '16237', '16238', '16239', '16240']
nosy_count = 2.0
nosy_names = ['loewis', 'mmokrejs']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'works for me'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue748926'
versions = ['Python 2.3']

[mmokrejs]

I found configure looks for ncurses.h instead of
ncurses/ncurses.h. Please note that newer version of
ncurses have moved ncurses.h to a subdirectory ncurses/.

Even after fixing configure and
Modules/_curses_panel.c, I get:

cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
line 506: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addch (const chtype);
/* generated */
---------------------------^
cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
line 507: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addchnstr (const chtype *,
int); /* generated */
---------------------------^
cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
line 508: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addchstr (const chtype *);
/* generated */
---------------------------^

Any ideas?

[loewis]

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Can you report how NCURSES_EXPORT is defined on your system?

[mmokrejs]

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Sorry, I'm not aprogrammer, should I attach some of the
headers files distributed by ncurses?

[mmokrejs]

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I asked the developer of ncurses. This is his first reply.

From: Thomas Dickey <dickey@herndon4.his.com>

My guess (because I've seen it a few times)
is that it's a system where someone installed a new version
of gcc. Its fixincludes script was modified a year or two
ago with the effect of putting a copy of curses.h into gcc's
so-called fixed-include files, e.g.,

    /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-linux/3.0.4/include

(It's "fixing" a place which is providing a typedef if it
doesn't exist). I modified the ifdef's to avoid this
problem. The quick fix is to remove curses.h from gcc's
fixed-includes. The reason why NCURSES_EXPORT is not
defined is because gcc finds the wrong curses.h and doesn't
find ncurses_dll.h because its fixed-include forces it into
the wrong search path.

If it's not that - perhaps more info. (Perhaps just setting
$CPPFLAGS in the environment is needed).

[loewis]

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I see. This seems to be either a bug in ncurses, or in gcc.
Closing as third-party.

[mmokrejs]

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Second reply(I have to add I'll retry once more, but I
believe the whole story is python used to compile fine with
older ncurses, which placed headers into include/ . Newer
versions place headers into include/ncurses/ subdirectory,
and that is not expected. I do not have the gcc problem with
gcc fixincludes as the machine was recently installed and
there were always ncurses 5.0 and above installed.):

Hi Thomas,
but I use cc from DEC?DIGITAL/COMPAQ/HP, so it shouldn't
see those
"fixed" headers, right?

no - gcc is the one that "fixes" headers. It is unlikely
that your $CFLAGS
or $CPPFLAGS has an explicit
-I/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-linux/3.0.4/include

Then it sounds like a variation of the other sort of
problem: compiler finds
one of the headers, but not all. The message seems to
indicate that the
compiler did not find a definition for NCURSES_EXPORT, which
is defined in
ncurses_dll.h

What I'd look for: since most applications do not distinguish
        #include <ncurses/curses.h>
and
        #include <curses.h>
by ifdef's is that your options have only
        -I/software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses
rather than
        -I/software/@sys/usr/include
        -I/software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses
Since the ncurses headers (unctrl.h, term.h) will have a
line like
        #include <ncurses/curses.h>
it really needs both -I options.  (Specifying both still
does not work around
the gcc fixincludes problem - that's why I remember that one
first).
 
> > (It's "fixing" a place which is providing a typedef if
it doesn't exist).
> > I modified the ifdef's to avoid this problem.  The quick
fix is to remove
> > curses.h from gcc's fixed-includes.  The reason why
NCURSES_EXPORT is not
> > defined is because gcc finds the wrong curses.h and
doesn't find ncurses_dll.h
> > because its fixed-include forces it into the wrong
search path.
> >
> > If it's not that - perhaps more info.  (Perhaps just
setting $CPPFLAGS in
> > the environment is needed).
> 
> But the message
> 
> cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
> line 506: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
> extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addch (const chtype);
> /* generated */
> ---------------------------^
> cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
> line 507: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
> extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addchnstr (const chtype *,
> int); /* generated */
> ---------------------------^
> cc: Error: /software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses/curses.h,
> line 508: Missing identifier. (parnoident)
> extern NCURSES_EXPORT(int) addchstr (const chtype *);
> /* generated */
> ---------------------------^
> 
> confirms that CPPFLAGS or CFLAGS point to the location
where ncurses are
> installed! Maybe the problem is that ncurses/ncurses.h are
stored as
> ncurses/curses.h?
>

[mmokrejs]

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Hi,
so the problem is that I have to manually specify
-I/software/@sys/usr/include
-I/software/@sys/usr/include/ncurses under BASECFLAGS in
src/Makefile. If I set these includes on CPPFLAGS, they're
used only for building the python core, not the modules.

I believe the configure should test for both:

<ncurses.h>
<ncurses/ncurses.h>

ncurses-5.3 and newer install into $prefix/include/ncurses/
instead of former $prefix/include/.

This change should be reflected by the configure script.

I believe the dist/src/Modules/_curses_panel.c calling
panel.h should be adjusted properly. It is not a must as
long as configure will set -I$pref/include
-I$pref/include/ncurses.

[loewis]

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user_id=21627

Well, that is not the problem you have originally reported? I
completely lost track what the problem is that you are
reporting.

If so, please close this report, and submit a new one indicating

1. What you did.
2. What happened.
3. What you expected to happen instead.
4. (optionally) why you think that happened.