What compiler will be chosen by meson.get_compiler('c') on a system with multiple C compilers?

Question

Given a meson-based project where meson.build contains the following line:

cc = meson.get_compiler('c')

How does meson.get_compiler('c') pick a compiler on a system with multiple C compilers? At the time of writing this question, the reference manual does not provide much detail, only...

Returns a compiler object describing a compiler.

Please note I am not trying to force meson to use a specific compiler. Rather, I am trying to understand how this line in meson.build, as it is currently written, will function.

@HansPassant There doesn't seem to be anything there that answers the question. — Barmar, Dec 10 '21 at 17:12
I would expect it to look in standard executable directories until it finds a compiler, and use the first one it finds. — Barmar, Dec 10 '21 at 17:12

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 11 '21 at 06:16

1

On Windows it tries icl, cl, cc, gcc, clang, clang-cl, pgcc; on Linux it tries cc, gcc, clang, nvc, pgc, icc. That's after it looks for the value of $CC and whatever is in your cross or native file. See the code here.

answered Dec 11 '21 at 06:16

dcbaker

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What compiler will be chosen by meson.get_compiler('c') on a system with multiple C compilers?

1 Answers1