kumquat-buildroot/docs/manual/adding-packages-kconfig.txt
Floris Bos 0cfb5549b3 kconfig-package: add support for config fragments
Adds functionality to the kconfig infrastructure to merge additional
configuration fragment files to the main configuration file of
kconfig packages, using support/kconfig/merge_config.sh

Typical use-case is when you want your configuration to be
kept in sync with an upstream (def)config file, but do require
some minor local modifications.

Disables -update-config and -update-defconfig targets when
fragment files are set.

[Thomas: take into account comments made by Arnout:
  - Minor fixes in the documentation changes
  - Add @ before the tests done in the $(1)-update-config and
    $(1)-update-defconfig targets.]

Signed-off-by: Floris Bos <bos@je-eigen-domein.nl>
Tested-by: Arnout Vandecappelle (Essensium/Mind) <arnout@mind.be>
Tested-by: Gergely Imreh <imrehg@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Thomas Petazzoni <thomas.petazzoni@free-electrons.com>
2015-05-21 23:41:46 +02:00

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// -*- mode:doc; -*-
// vim: set syntax=asciidoc:
=== Infrastructure for packages using kconfig for configuration files
A popular way for a software package to handle user-specified
configuration is +kconfig+. Among others, it is used by the Linux
kernel, Busybox, and Buildroot itself. The presence of a .config file
and a +menuconfig+ target are two well-known symptoms of kconfig being
used.
Buildroot features an infrastructure for packages that use kconfig for
their configuration. This infrastructure provides the necessary logic to
expose the package's +menuconfig+ target as +foo-menuconfig+ in
Buildroot, and to handle the copying back and forth of the configuration
file in a correct way.
The +kconfig-package+ infrastructure is based on the +generic-package+
infrastructure. All variables supported by +generic-package+ are
available in +kconfig-package+ as well. See
xref:generic-package-reference[] for more details.
In order to use the +kconfig-package+ infrastructure for a Buildroot
package, the minimally required lines in the +.mk+ file, in addition to
the variables required by the +generic-package+ infrastructure, are:
------------------------------
FOO_KCONFIG_FILE = reference-to-source-configuration-file
$(eval $(kconfig-package))
------------------------------
This snippet creates the following make targets:
* +foo-menuconfig+, which calls the package's +menuconfig+ target
* +foo-update-config+, which copies the configuration back to the
source configuration file. It is not possible to use this target
when fragment files are set.
* +foo-update-defconfig+, which copies the configuration back to the
source configuration file. The configuration file will only list the
options that differ from the default values. It is not possible to
use this target when fragment files are set.
and ensures that the source configuration file is copied to the build
directory at the right moment.
In addition to these minimally required lines, several optional variables can
be set to suit the needs of the package under consideration:
* +FOO_KCONFIG_EDITORS+: a space-separated list of kconfig editors to
support, for example 'menuconfig xconfig'. By default, 'menuconfig'.
* +FOO_KCONFIG_FRAGMENT_FILES+: a space-separated list of configuration
fragment files that are merged to the main configuration file.
Fragment files are typically used when there is a desire to stay in sync
with an upstream (def)config file, with some minor modifications.
* +FOO_KCONFIG_OPTS+: extra options to pass when calling the kconfig
editors. This may need to include '$(FOO_MAKE_OPTS)', for example. By
default, empty.
* +FOO_KCONFIG_FIXUP_CMDS+: a list of shell commands needed to fixup the
configuration file after copying it or running a kconfig editor. Such
commands may be needed to ensure a configuration consistent with other
configuration of Buildroot, for example. By default, empty.