configure ignores --constraint flag

[tibbe]

configure seems to ignore the --contraint flag. For example, here I'm specifying a specific version of hashable, but configures picks another one:

$ cabal configure --disable-library-profiling --enable-benchmarks --enable-tests --constraint "hashable == 1.2.0.0" -v
'/usr/bin/ghc' '--numeric-version'
looking for tool "ghc-pkg" near compiler in /usr/bin
found ghc-pkg in /usr/bin/ghc-pkg
'/usr/bin/ghc-pkg' '--version'
'/usr/bin/ghc' '--supported-languages'
'/usr/bin/ghc' '--info'
Reading available packages...
Choosing modular solver.
Resolving dependencies...
Could not resolve dependencies:
trying: unordered-containers-0.2.3.0 (user goal)
rejecting: unordered-containers-0.2.3.0:!bench (global constraint requires
opposite flag selection)
trying: unordered-containers-0.2.3.0:*bench
trying: criterion-0.6.2.0/installed-98e... (dependency of
unordered-containers-0.2.3.0:*bench)
next goal: aeson (dependency of criterion-0.6.2.0/installed-98e...)
rejecting: aeson-0.6.0.2/installed-386... (conflict:
unordered-containers==0.2.3.0, aeson =>
unordered-containers==0.2.2.1/installed-d70...)
Configuring unordered-containers-0.2.3.0...
Flags chosen: debug=False
Dependency ChasingBottoms -any: using ChasingBottoms-1.3.0.5
Dependency HUnit -any: using HUnit-1.2.5.1
Dependency QuickCheck >=2.4.0.1: using QuickCheck-2.5.1.1
Dependency base ==4.*: using base-4.5.1.0
Dependency bytestring -any: using bytestring-0.9.2.1
Dependency containers >=0.4.2: using containers-0.4.2.1
Dependency criterion -any: using criterion-0.6.2.0
Dependency deepseq >=1.1: using deepseq-1.3.0.0
Dependency hashable >=1.0.1.1: using hashable-1.1.2.5
Dependency mtl -any: using mtl-2.1.2
Dependency random -any: using random-1.0.1.1
Dependency test-framework >=0.3.3: using test-framework-0.6.1
Dependency test-framework-hunit -any: using test-framework-hunit-0.2.7
Dependency test-framework-quickcheck2 >=0.2.9: using
test-framework-quickcheck2-0.2.12.3
Dependency unordered-containers -any: using unordered-containers-0.2.3.0
'/usr/bin/ghc' '--info'
Using Cabal-1.17.0 compiled by ghc-7.4
Using compiler: ghc-7.4.2
Using install prefix:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0
Binaries installed in:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0/bin
Libraries installed in:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0/lib
Private binaries installed in:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0/libexec
Data files installed in:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0/share
Documentation installed in:
/Users/tibell/Library/Haskell/ghc-7.4.2/lib/unordered-containers-0.2.3.0/doc
Using alex version 3.0.2 found on system at: /usr/bin/alex
Using ar found on system at: /usr/bin/ar
No c2hs found
No cpphs found
No ffihugs found
Using gcc version 4.2.1 found on system at: /usr/bin/gcc
Using ghc version 7.4.2 found on system at: /usr/bin/ghc
Using ghc-pkg version 7.4.2 found on system at: /usr/bin/ghc-pkg
No greencard found
Using haddock version 2.11.0 found on system at: /usr/bin/haddock
Using happy version 1.18.10 found on system at: /usr/bin/happy
No hmake found
Using hpc version 0.6 found on system at: /usr/bin/hpc
Using hsc2hs version 0.67 found on system at: /usr/bin/hsc2hs
No hscolour found
No hugs found
No jhc found
Using ld found on system at: /usr/bin/ld
No lhc found
No lhc-pkg found
No nhc98 found
No pkg-config found
Using ranlib found on system at: /usr/bin/ranlib
Using strip found on system at: /usr/bin/strip
Using tar found on system at: /usr/bin/tar
No uhc found

[tibbe]

I just verified that this works correctly with the old, topdown, solver.

[kosmikus]

There's something I don't understand about the way cabal works here. As you can see from your log output, what actually happens is that the solver fails. However, Distribution.Client.Configure seems to just invoke setupWrapper in such as case, which will still configure the package (but obviously ignoring any solver output, because there is none).

So there are two points to investigate here:

• Why does the modular solver fail in your scenario, when topdown apparently doesn't? I can only answer that with a -v3 trace.
• Why does configure behave such that it nearly silently ignores solver errors? Perhaps @dcoutts can help to answer this?

[kosmikus]

Oh, perhaps I should add that as far as I can see this isn't a HEAD regression. I don't have your use case, but if you specify a clearly unsolvable constraint (such as "base == 1.0.0.0"), then you get similar behaviour with both solvers, already in 0.14.0.

[dmwit]

I am still seeing behavior like this in very new cabal-installs:

crabgrass:~/inst/xmonad-extras% cabal --version                               
cabal-install version 1.16.0.2
using version 1.16.0 of the Cabal library 
crabgrass:~/inst/xmonad-extras% grep 'build-depends.*xmonad' *.cabal
build-depends:      mtl, unix, X11>=1.4.3, xmonad>=0.10 && <0.12, xmonad-contrib>=0.10 && <0.12
crabgrass:~/inst/xmonad-extras% cabal configure --constraint "xmonad>=0.12"
Resolving dependencies...
Configuring xmonad-extras-0.11...

As you can see, I've specified a constraint (xmonad>=0.12) that completely conflicts with one from the cabal file (xmonad<0.12), but configuration still succeeds. Full output from -v3 is attached below.

crabgrass:~/inst/xmonad-extras% cabal configure --constraint "xmonad>=0.12" -v3
searching for ghc in path.
found ghc at /usr/bin/ghc
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--numeric-version"])
/usr/bin/ghc is version 7.6.3
looking for tool "ghc-pkg" near compiler in /usr/bin
found ghc-pkg in /usr/bin/ghc-pkg
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["--version"])
/usr/bin/ghc-pkg is version 7.6.3
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--supported-languages"])
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--info"])
Reading installed packages...
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["dump","--global","-v0"])
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["dump","--user","-v0"])
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--print-libdir"])
Reading available packages...
Choosing modular solver.
Resolving dependencies...
[__0] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11
[__1] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_template_haskell
[__2] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_split
[__3] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_regex_posix
[__4] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_parsec
[__5] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_mpd
[__6] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-with_hlist
[__7] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_hint
[__8] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-testing
[__9] rejecting: xmonad-extras-0.11:+small_base (unknown package: regex-posix)
[__4] fail (backjumping, conflict set: regex-posix, xmonad-extras,
xmonad-extras-0.11:with_regex_posix)
[__3] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-with_regex_posix
[__4] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_parsec
[__5] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_mpd
[__6] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-with_hlist
[__7] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_hint
[__8] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-testing
[__9] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+small_base
[_10] trying: bytestring-0.10.0.2/installed-4f9...
[_11] trying: base-4.6.0.1/installed-8aa...
[_12] trying: rts-1.0/installedbuil...
[_13] trying: integer-gmp-0.5.0.0/installed-2f1...
[_14] trying: ghc-prim-0.3.0.0/installed-d52...
[_15] trying: deepseq-1.3.0.1/installed-5cc...
[_16] rejecting: array-0.4.0.1/installed-3b7... (unknown package: libmpd)
[__6] fail (backjumping, conflict set: libmpd, xmonad-extras,
xmonad-extras-0.11:with_mpd)
[__5] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-with_mpd
[__6] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-with_hlist
[__7] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_hint
[__8] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:-testing
[__9] trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+small_base
[_10] trying: network-2.4.1.2/installed-040...
[_11] trying: base-4.6.0.1/installed-8aa...
[_12] trying: rts-1.0/installedbuil...
[_13] trying: integer-gmp-0.5.0.0/installed-2f1...
[_14] trying: ghc-prim-0.3.0.0/installed-d52...
[_15] trying: parsec-3.1.3/installed-6c6...
[_16] trying: text-0.11.3.1/installed-e38...
[_17] trying: deepseq-1.3.0.1/installed-5cc...
[_18] trying: array-0.4.0.1/installed-3b7...
[_19] trying: bytestring-0.10.0.2/installed-4f9...
[_20] trying: hint-0.3.3.6/installed-f16...
[_21] trying: utf8-string-0.3.7/installed-26a...
[_22] trying: random-1.0.1.1/installed-43f...
[_23] trying: time-1.4.0.1/installed-10d...
[_24] trying: old-locale-1.0.0.5/installed-672...
[_25] trying: haskell-src-1.0.1.5/installed-515...
[_26] trying: syb-0.4.0/installed-c48...
[_27] trying: pretty-1.1.1.0/installed-661...
[_28] trying: ghc-paths-0.1.0.9/installed-33c...
[_29] trying: ghc-mtl-1.0.1.2/installed-11b...
[_30] trying: ghc-7.6.3/installed-494...
[_31] trying: template-haskell-2.8.0.0/installed-a30...
[_32] trying: process-1.1.0.2/installed-76e...
[_33] trying: hpc-0.6.0.0/installed-079...
[_34] trying: hoopl-3.9.0.0/installed-8eb...
[_35] trying: containers-0.5.0.0/installed-ab1...
[_36] trying: bin-package-db-0.0.0.0/installed-608...
[_37] trying: binary-0.5.1.1/installed-72e...
[_38] trying: Cabal-1.16.0/installed-c6e...
[_39] trying: old-time-1.1.0.1/installed-2f8...
[_40] trying: filepath-1.3.0.1/installed-b12...
[_41] trying: extensible-exceptions-0.1.1.4/installed-255...
[_42] trying: directory-1.2.0.1/installed-91a...
[_43] trying: MonadCatchIO-mtl-0.3.0.5/installed-351...
[_44] trying: split-0.2.2/installed-9ce...
[_45] rejecting: xmonad-contrib-0.12/installed-70c... (conflict: xmonad-extras
=> xmonad-contrib>=0.10 && <0.12)
[_45] trying: xmonad-contrib-0.11/installed-a6e...
[_46] trying: X11-xft-0.3.1/installed-d6f...
[_47] rejecting: xmonad-0.12/installed-6ff... (conflict: xmonad-contrib =>
xmonad==0.11/installed-afd...)
[_47] rejecting: xmonad-0.11/installed-afd... (global constraint requires
>=0.12)
[__0] fail (backjumping, conflict set: xmonad, xmonad-contrib, xmonad-extras)
Could not resolve dependencies:
trying: xmonad-extras-0.11
trying: xmonad-extras-0.11:+with_regex_posix
Using internal setup method with build-type Simple and args:
["configure","--verbose=3","--ghc","--prefix=/home/dmwit/.cabal/$arch","--enable-library-profiling","--user"]
Configuring xmonad-extras-0.11...
creating dist
searching for ghc in path.
found ghc at /usr/bin/ghc
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--numeric-version"])
/usr/bin/ghc is version 7.6.3
looking for tool "ghc-pkg" near compiler in /usr/bin
found ghc-pkg in /usr/bin/ghc-pkg
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["--version"])
/usr/bin/ghc-pkg is version 7.6.3
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--supported-languages"])
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--info"])
Reading installed packages...
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["dump","--global","-v0"])
("/usr/bin/ghc-pkg",["dump","--user","-v0"])
("/usr/bin/ghc",["--print-libdir"])
Flags chosen: testing=False, with_template_haskell=True,
with_regex_posix=False, with_hlist=False, with_mpd=False, with_hint=True,
with_split=True, with_parsec=True, small_base=True
Dependency X11 >=1.4.3: using X11-1.6.1.1
Dependency base >=3 && <5: using base-4.6.0.1
Dependency containers -any: using containers-0.5.0.0
Dependency directory -any: using directory-1.2.0.1
Dependency hint >=0.3.3.3 && <0.4: using hint-0.3.3.6
Dependency mtl -any: using mtl-2.1.2
Dependency network -any: using network-2.4.1.2
Dependency old-locale -any: using old-locale-1.0.0.5
Dependency old-time -any: using old-time-1.1.0.1
Dependency parsec >=2 && <4: using parsec-3.1.3
Dependency process -any: using process-1.1.0.2
Dependency random -any: using random-1.0.1.1
Dependency split >=0.1 && <0.3: using split-0.2.2
Dependency unix -any: using unix-2.6.0.1
Dependency xmonad >=0.10 && <0.12: using xmonad-0.11
Dependency xmonad-contrib >=0.10 && <0.12: using xmonad-contrib-0.11
searching for alex in path.
found alex at /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/alex
("/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/alex",["--version"])
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/alex is version 3.0.2
searching for ar in path.
found ar at /usr/bin/ar
searching for c2hs in path.
found c2hs at /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/c2hs
("/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/c2hs",["--numeric-version"])
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/c2hs is version 0.16.3
searching for cpphs in path.
found cpphs at /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/cpphs
("/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/cpphs",["--version"])
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/cpphs is version 1.16
searching for ffihugs in path.
Cannot find ffihugs on the path
searching for gcc in path.
found gcc at /usr/bin/gcc
("/usr/bin/gcc",["-dumpversion"])
/usr/bin/gcc is version 4.8
searching for greencard in path.
Cannot find greencard on the path
searching for haddock in path.
found haddock at /usr/bin/haddock
("/usr/bin/haddock",["--version"])
/usr/bin/haddock is version 2.13.2
searching for happy in path.
found happy at /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/happy
("/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/happy",["--version"])
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/happy is version 1.18.10
searching for hmake in path.
Cannot find hmake on the path
searching for hpc in path.
found hpc at /usr/bin/hpc
("/usr/bin/hpc",["version"])
/usr/bin/hpc is version 0.6
looking for tool "hsc2hs" near compiler in /usr/bin
found hsc2hs in /usr/bin/hsc2hs
("/usr/bin/hsc2hs",["--version"])
/usr/bin/hsc2hs is version 0.67
searching for HsColour in path.
Cannot find HsColour on the path
searching for hugs in path.
Cannot find hugs on the path
searching for jhc in path.
Cannot find jhc on the path
searching for ld in path.
found ld at /usr/bin/ld
("/usr/bin/ghc",["-c","/tmp/12462.c","-o","/tmp/12462.o"])
("/usr/bin/ld",["-x","-r","/tmp/12462.o","-o","/tmp/12463.o"])
searching for lhc in path.
Cannot find lhc on the path
searching for lhc-pkg in path.
Cannot find lhc-pkg on the path
searching for nhc98 in path.
Cannot find nhc98 on the path
searching for pkg-config in path.
found pkg-config at /usr/bin/pkg-config
("/usr/bin/pkg-config",["--version"])
/usr/bin/pkg-config is version 0.26
searching for ranlib in path.
found ranlib at /usr/bin/ranlib
searching for strip in path.
found strip at /usr/bin/strip
searching for tar in path.
found tar at /bin/tar
searching for uhc in path.
Cannot find uhc on the path
Using Cabal-1.16.0 compiled by ghc-7.6
Using compiler: ghc-7.6.3
Using install prefix: /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64
Binaries installed in: /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin
Libraries installed in:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/lib/xmonad-extras-0.11/ghc-7.6.3
Private binaries installed in: /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/libexec
Data files installed in: /home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/share/xmonad-extras-0.11
Documentation installed in:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/share/doc/xmonad-extras-0.11
Using alex version 3.0.2 found on system at:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/alex
Using ar found on system at: /usr/bin/ar
Using c2hs version 0.16.3 found on system at:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/c2hs
Using cpphs version 1.16 found on system at:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/cpphs
No ffihugs found
Using gcc version 4.8 found on system at: /usr/bin/gcc
Using ghc version 7.6.3 found on system at: /usr/bin/ghc
Using ghc-pkg version 7.6.3 found on system at: /usr/bin/ghc-pkg
No greencard found
Using haddock version 2.13.2 found on system at: /usr/bin/haddock
Using happy version 1.18.10 found on system at:
/home/dmwit/.cabal/x86_64/bin/happy
No hmake found
Using hpc version 0.6 found on system at: /usr/bin/hpc
Using hsc2hs version 0.67 found on system at: /usr/bin/hsc2hs
No hscolour found
No hugs found
No jhc found
Using ld found on system at: /usr/bin/ld
No lhc found
No lhc-pkg found
No nhc98 found
Using pkg-config version 0.26 found on system at: /usr/bin/pkg-config
Using ranlib found on system at: /usr/bin/ranlib
Using strip found on system at: /usr/bin/strip
Using tar found on system at: /bin/tar
No uhc found
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[dmwit]

Hm, issue #385 also looks relevant. Perhaps this was a conscious design choice? If so, put me down as requesting a feature that reports a little bit about what happened when the solver failed but configure succeeded anyway. It's a very confusing outcome.