where gcc -save-temps puts temporary files

where gcc -save-temps puts temporary files

[Marty Leisner]

gcc -save-temps is defined to leave temporaries in the current directory.
This works intuitively where the build writes the output files into the current
directory.  Not everything works that way.

It seems it makes more sense to always leave it alongside the output...

If I'm debugging a build (of something like the linux kernel) its
calling the C compiler with

gcc <flags> foo/bar/src.c -c  -o <dest>foo/bar/src.o

If I add -save-temps, it puts the .i and .s in the current directory...

I found this not intuitive and has the following problems:
   1) if current directory isn't writable, -save-temps won't work
   2) if multiple files in subdirectories have the same name (and different
paths) -save-temps will overwrite temporary files

Comments?  This would be an easy change to make.  Would it be desirable
to change the behavior of -save-temps?

marty

Re: where gcc -save-temps puts temporary files

[Andrew Haley]

Marty Leisner writes:
 > gcc -save-temps is defined to leave temporaries in the current directory.
 > This works intuitively where the build writes the output files into the current
 > directory.  Not everything works that way.
 > 
 > It seems it makes more sense to always leave it alongside the output...
 > 
 > If I'm debugging a build (of something like the linux kernel) its
 > calling the C compiler with
 > 
 > gcc <flags> foo/bar/src.c -c  -o <dest>foo/bar/src.o
 > 
 > If I add -save-temps, it puts the .i and .s in the current directory...
 > 
 > I found this not intuitive and has the following problems:
 >    1) if current directory isn't writable, -save-temps won't work
 >    2) if multiple files in subdirectories have the same name (and different
 > paths) -save-temps will overwrite temporary files
 > 
 > Comments?  This would be an easy change to make.  Would it be desirable
 > to change the behavior of -save-temps?

I don't agree.  It would make it impossible to follow a common
practice of cd'ing to a tmpdir and doing

   gcc /foo/bar/baz.c -o /foo/build/baz.o -save-temps

This suggested change is a bad idea.  Emitting to cwd is the most
convenient default for my usage.

Andrew.

-- 
Red Hat UK Ltd, Amberley Place, 107-111 Peascod Street, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1TE, UK
Registered in England and Wales No. 3798903