4 files changed, 117 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python-native_2.7.15.bb b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python-native_2.7.15.bb
index 7c491fa3e0..de35104c60 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python-native_2.7.15.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python-native_2.7.15.bb
@@ -69,7 +69,11 @@ python(){
     import json
     pythondir = d.getVar('THISDIR',True)
     with open(pythondir+'/python/python2-manifest.json') as manifest_file:
-        python_manifest=json.load(manifest_file)
+        manifest_str =  manifest_file.read()
+        json_start = manifest_str.find('# EOC') + 6
+        manifest_file.seek(json_start)
+        manifest_str = manifest_file.read()
+        python_manifest = json.loads(manifest_str)
 
     rprovides = d.getVar('RPROVIDES').split()
 
diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/create_manifest2.py b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/create_manifest2.py
index 87999991d7..b6748653b6 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/create_manifest2.py
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/create_manifest2.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 #
 #
 # This way we will create a new manifest from the data structure that was built during
-# this process, ont this new manifest each package will contain specifically only
+# this process, on this new manifest each package will contain specifically only
 # what it needs to run.
 #
 # There are some caveats which we try to deal with, such as repeated files on different
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 # Its also important to note that this method only works for python files, and shared
 # libraries. Static libraries, header files and binaries need to be dealt with manually.
 #
-# Author: Alejandro Enedino Hernandez Samaniego "aehs29" <aehs29@gmail.com>
+# Author: Alejandro Enedino Hernandez Samaniego "aehs29" <aehs29 at gmail dot com>
 
 
 import sys
@@ -62,10 +62,21 @@ def isFolder(value):
   else:
     return False
 
+def prepend_comments(comments, json_manifest):
+    with open(json_manifest, 'r+') as manifest:
+        json_contents = manifest.read()
+        manifest.seek(0, 0)
+        manifest.write(comments + json_contents)
+
 # Read existing JSON manifest
 with open('python2-manifest.json') as manifest:
-  old_manifest = json.load(manifest, object_pairs_hook=collections.OrderedDict)
-
+    # The JSON format doesn't allow comments so we hack the call to keep the comments using a marker
+    manifest_str =  manifest.read()
+    json_start = manifest_str.find('# EOC') + 6 # EOC + \n
+    manifest.seek(0)
+    comments = manifest.read(json_start)
+    manifest_str = manifest.read()
+    old_manifest = json.loads(manifest_str, object_pairs_hook=collections.OrderedDict)
 
 # First pass to get core-package functionality, because we base everything on the fact that core is actually working
 # Not exactly the same so it should not be a function
@@ -277,3 +288,5 @@ for key in new_manifest:
 # Create the manifest from the data structure that was built
 with open('python2-manifest.json.new','w') as outfile:
     json.dump(new_manifest,outfile, indent=4)
+
+prepend_comments(comments,'python2-manifest.json.new')
diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/python2-manifest.json b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/python2-manifest.json
index 260fa6f80d..c092e69d38 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/python2-manifest.json
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python/python2-manifest.json
@@ -1,3 +1,93 @@
+# DO NOT (entirely) modify this file manually, please read.
+#
+# IMPORTANT NOTE:
+# Please keep in mind that the create_manifest task relies on the fact the the
+# target and native Python packages are the same, and it also needs to be executed
+# with a fully working native package (with all the PACKAGECONFIGs enabled and all
+# and all the modules should be working, check log.do_compile), otherwise the script
+# will fail to find dependencies correctly, this note is valid either if you are
+# upgrading to a new Python version or adding a new package.
+#
+#
+# If you are adding a new package please follow the next steps:
+#     How to add a new package:
+#     - If a user wants to add a new package all that has to be done is:
+#     Modify the python2-manifest.json file, and add the required file(s) to the FILES list,
+#     fill up the SUMMARY section as well, the script should handle all the rest.
+#
+#     Real example:
+#     We want to add a web browser package, including the file webbrowser.py
+#     which at the moment is on python-misc.
+#     "webbrowser": {
+#         "files": ["${libdir}/python2.7/lib-dynload/webbrowser.py"],
+#         "rdepends": [],
+#         "summary": "Python Web Browser support"}
+#
+#     * Note that the rdepends field was left empty
+#
+#     We run $ bitbake python -c create_manifest and the resulting manifest
+#     should be completed after a few seconds, showing something like:
+#     "webbrowser": {
+#         "files": ["${libdir}/python2.7/webbrowser.py"],
+#         "rdepends": ["core","fcntl","io","pickle","shell","subprocess"],
+#         "summary": "Python Web Browser support"}
+#
+#
+# If you are upgrading Python to a new version please follow the next steps:
+#     After each Python upgrade, the create_manifest task should be executed, because we
+#     don't control what changes on upstream Python, so, some module dependency
+#     might have changed without us realizing it, a certain module can either have
+#     more or less dependencies, or could be depending on a new file that was just
+#     created on the new release and for obvious reasons we wouldn't have it on our
+#     old manifest, all of these issues would cause runtime errors on our system.
+#
+#     - Upgrade both the native and target Python packages to a new version
+#     - Run the create_manifest task for the target Python package as its shown below:
+#
+#     $ bitbake python -c create_manifest
+#
+#     This will automatically replace your manifest file located under the Python directory
+#     with an new one, which contains the new dependencies (if any).
+#
+#     Several things could have gone wrong here, I will try to explain a few:
+#
+#     a) A new file was introduced on this release, e.g. sha3*.so:
+#        The task will check what its needed to import every module, more than one module would
+#        would probably depend on sha3*.so, although only one module should contain it.
+#
+#        After running the task, the new manifest will have the sha3*.so file on more than one
+#        module, you need to manually decide which one of them should get it and delete it from
+#        the others, for example sha3*.so should likely be on ${PN}-crypt.
+#        Once you have deleted from the others you need to run the create_manifest task again,
+#        this will populate the other module's rdepends fields, with ${PN}-crypt and you should be
+#        good to go.
+#
+#     b) The native package wasn't built correctly and its missing a certain module:
+#        As mentioned before, you need to make sure the native package was built with all the modules
+#        because it is used as base to build the manifest file, you need to manually check log.do_compile
+#        since it won't error out the compile function if its only missing a couple of modules.
+#
+#        e.g. missing the _uuid module, log.do_compile would show the following:
+#        Python build finished successfully!
+#        The necessary bits to build these optional modules were not found:
+#        _uuid
+#
+#        What will happen here is that the new manifest would not be aware that the _uuid module exists, so
+#        not only we won't know of any dependencies to it, but also, the _uuid* files will be packaged on
+#        the misc package (which is where any file that doesn't belong anywhere else ends up).
+#
+#        This will eventually cause runtime errors on our system if we don't include the misc package on
+#        on our image, because the _uuid files will be missing.
+#        If we build the _uuid module correctly and run the create_manifest task the _uuid files will be
+#        detected correctly along with its dependencies, and we will get a working manifest.
+#
+#        This is the reason why it is important to make sure we have a fully working native build,
+#        so we can avoid these errors.
+#
+#
+#
+# DO NOT MODIFY THE NEXT LINE!, IT IS USED AS A MARKER FOR THE ACTUAL JSON MANIFEST
+# EOC
 {
     "tests": {
         "summary": "Python test suite", 
diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python_2.7.15.bb b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python_2.7.15.bb
index dd969d8e7e..c22c762d99 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python_2.7.15.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/python/python_2.7.15.bb
@@ -198,7 +198,11 @@ python(){
     bb.parse.mark_dependency(d, filename)
 
     with open(filename) as manifest_file:
-        python_manifest=json.load(manifest_file, object_pairs_hook=collections.OrderedDict)
+        manifest_str =  manifest_file.read()
+        json_start = manifest_str.find('# EOC') + 6
+        manifest_file.seek(json_start)
+        manifest_str = manifest_file.read()
+        python_manifest = json.loads(manifest_str, object_pairs_hook=collections.OrderedDict)
 
     include_pycs = d.getVar('INCLUDE_PYCS')