find_program: add a kwarg to skip searching the source dir

Unless search directories or overrides are provided, `find_program()`
will by first search for an executable name in the source directory
before trying to look it up via the `PATH` environment variable. This
can create issues in some projects where the executable exists in the
source directory, but when the actual program should be looked up via
PATH.

While the obvious answer is to move out the given executable from the
source directory it's not always feasible. Git for example supports
being built with both Makefiles and Meson. In the former case, the
resulting `git` executable will be put into the root level source
directory. So if one then sets up Meson, we would find that binary
instead of the system-provided binary.

Add a new "skip_source_dir" kwarg to `find_program()` that allows the
user to skip looking up programs via the source directory.

Signed-off-by: Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im>

docs/markdown/snippets/find_program_skip_source_dir.md

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+## `find_program()` can optionally skip searching the source directory
+
+When given an executable name without any overrides, the `find_program()`
+function searches the source directory for the executable before scanning
+through `PATH`. This can now be skipped by passing `skip_source_dir: true` to
+`find_program()` so that only `PATH` will be searched.

docs/yaml/functions/find_program.yaml

@@ -121,6 +121,15 @@ kwargs:
     since: 0.53.0
     description: extra list of absolute paths where to look for program names.
 
+  skip_source_dir:
+    type: bool
+    since: 1.7.0
+    default: false
+    description: |
+      Unless `dirs` are provided, Meson searches the source directory relative
+      to the current subdir before searching through `PATH`. If `true`, this
+      step will skip searching the source directory and query `PATH` directly.
+
   default_options:
     type: list[str] | dict[str | bool | int | list[str]]
     since: 1.3.0

mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreter.py

@@ -1579,11 +1579,15 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
         return None
 
     def program_from_system(self, args: T.List[mesonlib.FileOrString], search_dirs: T.Optional[T.List[str]],
-                            extra_info: T.List[mlog.TV_Loggable]) -> T.Optional[ExternalProgram]:
+                            skip_source_dir: bool, extra_info: T.List[mlog.TV_Loggable],
+                            ) -> T.Optional[ExternalProgram]:
         # Search for scripts relative to current subdir.
         # Do not cache found programs because find_program('foobar')
         # might give different results when run from different source dirs.
-        source_dir = os.path.join(self.environment.get_source_dir(), self.subdir)
+        if skip_source_dir:
+            source_dir = []
+        else:
+            source_dir = [os.path.join(self.environment.get_source_dir(), self.subdir)]
         for exename in args:
             if isinstance(exename, mesonlib.File):
                 if exename.is_built:
@@ -1596,9 +1600,9 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
                 search_dirs = [search_dir]
             elif isinstance(exename, str):
                 if search_dirs:
-                    search_dirs = [source_dir] + search_dirs
+                    search_dirs = source_dir + search_dirs
                 else:
-                    search_dirs = [source_dir]
+                    search_dirs = source_dir
             else:
                 raise InvalidArguments(f'find_program only accepts strings and files, not {exename!r}')
             extprog = ExternalProgram(exename, search_dirs=search_dirs, silent=True)
@@ -1647,13 +1651,14 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
                           required: bool = True, silent: bool = True,
                           wanted: T.Union[str, T.List[str]] = '',
                           search_dirs: T.Optional[T.List[str]] = None,
+                          skip_source_dir: bool = False,
                           version_arg: T.Optional[str] = '',
                           version_func: T.Optional[ProgramVersionFunc] = None
                           ) -> T.Union['ExternalProgram', 'build.Executable', 'OverrideProgram']:
         args = mesonlib.listify(args)
 
         extra_info: T.List[mlog.TV_Loggable] = []
-        progobj = self.program_lookup(args, for_machine, default_options, required, search_dirs, wanted, version_arg, version_func, extra_info)
+        progobj = self.program_lookup(args, for_machine, default_options, required, search_dirs, skip_source_dir, wanted, version_arg, version_func, extra_info)
         if progobj is None or not self.check_program_version(progobj, wanted, version_func, extra_info):
             progobj = self.notfound_program(args)
 
@@ -1677,6 +1682,7 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
                        default_options: T.Optional[T.Dict[OptionKey, T.Union[str, int, bool, T.List[str]]]],
                        required: bool,
                        search_dirs: T.Optional[T.List[str]],
+                       skip_source_dir: bool,
                        wanted: T.Union[str, T.List[str]],
                        version_arg: T.Optional[str],
                        version_func: T.Optional[ProgramVersionFunc],
@@ -1699,7 +1705,7 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
 
         progobj = self.program_from_file_for(for_machine, args)
         if progobj is None:
-            progobj = self.program_from_system(args, search_dirs, extra_info)
+            progobj = self.program_from_system(args, search_dirs, skip_source_dir, extra_info)
         if progobj is None and args[0].endswith('python3'):
             prog = ExternalProgram('python3', mesonlib.python_command, silent=True)
             progobj = prog if prog.found() else None
@@ -1764,6 +1770,7 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
         NATIVE_KW,
         REQUIRED_KW,
         KwargInfo('dirs', ContainerTypeInfo(list, str), default=[], listify=True, since='0.53.0'),
+        KwargInfo('skip_source_dir', bool, default=False, since='1.7.0'),
         KwargInfo('version', ContainerTypeInfo(list, str), default=[], listify=True, since='0.52.0'),
         KwargInfo('version_argument', str, default='', since='1.5.0'),
         DEFAULT_OPTIONS.evolve(since='1.3.0')
@@ -1780,9 +1787,10 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
 
         search_dirs = extract_search_dirs(kwargs)
         default_options = kwargs['default_options']
+        skip_source_dir = kwargs['skip_source_dir']
         return self.find_program_impl(args[0], kwargs['native'], default_options=default_options, required=required,
                                       silent=False, wanted=kwargs['version'], version_arg=kwargs['version_argument'],
-                                      search_dirs=search_dirs)
+                                      search_dirs=search_dirs, skip_source_dir=skip_source_dir)
 
     # When adding kwargs, please check if they make sense in dependencies.get_dep_identifier()
     @FeatureNewKwargs('dependency', '0.57.0', ['cmake_package_version'])

test cases/unit/125 skip_source_dir/executable.py

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+print('from source directory')

test cases/unit/125 skip_source_dir/meson.build

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+project('skip_source_dir',
+  meson_version: '>=1.7.0',
+)
+
+summary({
+  'no args': run_command(find_program('executable.py'), capture: true, check: true).stdout(),
+  'skip_source_dir: true': run_command(find_program('executable.py', skip_source_dir: false), capture: true, check: true).stdout(),
+  'skip_source_dir: false': run_command(find_program('executable.py', skip_source_dir: true), capture: true, check: true).stdout(),
+}, section: 'output')

test cases/unit/125 skip_source_dir/path/executable.py

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+print('from path')

unittests/allplatformstests.py

@@ -5076,6 +5076,15 @@ class AllPlatformTests(BasePlatformTests):
             self.setconf('-Dcpp_std=c++11,gnu++11,vc++11')
             self.assertEqual(self.getconf('cpp_std'), 'c++11')
 
+    def test_skip_source_dir(self):
+        testdir = os.path.join(self.unit_test_dir, '125 skip_source_dir')
+        env = os.environ.copy()
+        env['PATH'] = os.path.join(testdir, 'path') + os.pathsep + env['PATH']
+        output = self.init(testdir, override_envvars=env)
+        self.assertRegex(output, r'no args *: from source directory')
+        self.assertRegex(output, r'skip_source_dir: true *: from source directory')
+        self.assertRegex(output, r'skip_source_dir: false *: from path')
+
     def test_rsp_support(self):
         env = get_fake_env()
         cc = detect_c_compiler(env, MachineChoice.HOST)