Any idea how to integrate GDC?

[p0nce]

Using a recent GDC would be a boon to our linux testing. Any idea how to do it?

[PetarKirov]

setup-dlang is more or less doing what the official install script is doing (only using Typescript + GH Actions builtins, instead of bash).

The main blocker is having prebuilt GDC packages, like LDC and DMD provide. IMO this should be done upstream either by the @D-Programming-GDC or @dlang organizations.

That said, technically nothing prevents someone for setting up a GitHub Action pipeline here that would do the same. Here's a starting point for a CI pipeline: https://github.com/D-Programming-GDC/gcc/blob/5ff6ab4f88164b4c8939a8780da42dc39bd2a7ff/.semaphore/semaphore.yml#L1

[p0nce]

Thanks. Maybe I'm being stupid: is there maybe a way to just invocate sudo apt install gdc in the user Action? Any GDC version would do.

[mihails-strasuns]

If you are fine with any version and only interested in Linux, literally running apt install gdc in your action should do the trick - and take roughly same amount of yml config :)

For setup-dlang there both needs to be some way to switch between version and support for all of Win-Linux-MacOS triplet. It should be possible to do, probably with some enhancements to GDC own CI, but it is a fair bit of work, much more than was needed for dmd/ldc, so it was not originally implemented.

[p0nce]

Fine! Thanks :)

[mihails-strasuns]

I think it would be better to keep this ticket open - both because it is a necessary feature request and because the same question is likely to come up again. I can create a new one if you prefer of course.

[Geod24]

We could just mention in the README how to use GDC.

[mihails-strasuns]

Do you have any best practice suggestions? (other than apt install when applicable)

[p0nce]

apt install doesn't actually work in Gitub Actions for GDC.

• On Ubuntu 20.04, the linker output an error that is:
  dub: symbol lookup error: dub: undefined symbol: _D3std3net4curl4HTTP9__mixin376onSendMFNdDFAvZmZv
  Similar to that thread: https://forum.dlang.org/post/rrqff0$21cf$1@digitalmars.com

• Downgrading to Ubuntu 18.04, installing GDC removes dub and ldc packages.

But installing dub or ldc removes GDC:

So I haven't found a way to support GDC properly... Any idea? Would need both DUB and GDC ideally.

[mihails-strasuns]

It may be a time to ask @ibuclaw for suggestions :)

[p0nce]

Mmmm, I follow the suggestions in the debian thread and install DUB from Github instead. This file allows to dub test with GDC:

name: gdc
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
    test:
        name: Dub Tests
        strategy:
            matrix:
                os: [ubuntu-20.04]
                dc: 
                    - ldc-latest 

        runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
        steps:
            - uses: actions/checkout@v2

            - name: Install D compiler
              uses: dlang-community/setup-dlang@v1
              with:
                  compiler: ${{ matrix.dc }}
          
            - name: Install DUB
              run: |
                  wget https://github.com/dlang/dub/releases/download/v1.23.0/dub-v1.23.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
                  tar xvf dub-v1.23.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz

            - name: Install libcurl
              run: sudo apt install libcurl4-gnutls-dev

            - name: Install GDC
              run: sudo apt install gdc              

            - name: Vanilla unittest
              run: ./dub test -a x86_64 --compiler gdc -v

Not optimal but works for this single purpose.

[ibuclaw]

It may be a time to ask @ibuclaw for suggestions :)

I only see that the package maintainers have shot themselves in both feet.

1. By making gdc and ldc conflict (did ldc install module sources to /usr/include/d on 18.04?)
2. By insisting on using shared libraries by default when the phobos ABI is so unstable, building in a different path changes symbol names (yes, the debian/ubuntu builders use a generated /buildd path, so each minor version update probably requires all downstream packages to be rebuilt).

[SingingBush]

I was able to use gdc on ubuntu-latest with this change: mbierlee/poodinis@6e25ca7

essentially you need something like:

jobs:
  # On Ubuntu we can use GDC (so keep working for D version 2.076)
  gdc-latest:
    name: GDC on Ubuntu
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Install DMD (so dub is available)
        uses: dlang-community/setup-dlang@v1
        with:
          compiler: dmd-latest

      - name: Install GDC
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install gdc -y
          gdc --version

      - name: Build library
        env:
          DC: gdc
        run: dub build --compiler=gdc --build=release