[question] build_id() and packaging prebuilt libraries

[daltonv]

My team packages an SDK for a mcu vendor for conan distribution. The SDK comes as a zip file with the sdk sources and prebuilt libraries for 3 different compilers.

I setup my conan recipe so that my build() method really just downloads the SDK of the right version from a publicly accessible link on the vendor's site. The package() method just copies the right libs based on the settings from the profile being used.

This is all working for me, but I would like to avoid pointlessly redownloading the sdk for each package binary I produce as all variants depend on the same sdk.

I found the build_id() method can do this, but it seems to only work for multiple build types. If I try to set self.info_build.settings.compiler = "Any" in the method I get and error about Any not being a valid selection. ConanException: Invalid setting 'Any' is not a valid 'settings.compiler' value..

Is there some way to set that every compiler uses the same "build"?

Have you read the CONTRIBUTING guide?

• I've read the CONTRIBUTING guide

[memsharded]

Hi @daltonv

Thanks for your report. I assume this is 2.0
I have been able to reproduce in 2.0, it seems there is a gap for settings that are not final (that have nested sub-settings), I am checking it.

[daltonv]

Yep this 2.0. 2.0.16 to be exact.

[memsharded]

While I am investigating it in #15439, a quick question: is it possible that you don't want to define the compiler setting in the first place? It seems that this package will have a low variability, and it is likely that it is enough to not define the compiler setting directly? What is the binary variability?

[daltonv]

The SDK provides 3 static libs that are really all just variants of the same built source code for 3 different compilers. I really do need each lib to be its own package binary, so the consumer of the package just needs to setup their profile right and they get the right library for the compiler their project is using.

[memsharded]

Oh, I see. So the variability is indeed over the compiler, got it.
Ok, please track progress of #15439, I hope we can unblock this soon. Thanks for the feedback!

[daltonv]

Sounds good. Thanks for looking into it!

[memsharded]

#15439 has been merged, so this will be available next Conan 2.1 release

[daltonv]

Awesome thanks for the quick fix!