Hi folks, I'm wondering if there is a tutorial on how to write a codegen rule and target? I got a little lost trying to read how protobuf codegen works 😅 I'm trying to add a target + rules that generate files using templated params from the target.

Did you take a look at this? https://www.pantsbuild.org/docs/plugins-codegen

no, haha, I was looking under rules API. 🙏

Let us know if you have any questions! It sounds like the

relocated_files

target might also be a better example for you https://github.com/pantsbuild/pants/blob/3dde4f922c4f539003f64f24091f1f76169e149f/src/python/pants/core/target_types.py#L80-L204 It too "generates"

files

based on fields from the target, and it doesn't actually have

sources

. It only registers a private field called

_sources

in order to use the plugin hook

Depending on how advanced etc this is, maybe the coming

experimental_shell_command

could be useful (to at least know about) .. ?

Just saw this, this is awesome.

experimental_shell_command

is exactly what I need. 🙏 Any chance for a future

python_command

? So we can plug in more complicated logic.

I will have to try this tomorrow, but I think you could add a dependency on a pex binary for instance, the execute that with your shell command..

Good idea Andreas! I'd encourage not adding python_command, especially because you can use inline Bash in the BUILD file to invoke the pex_binary Better to not have multiple ways of doing the same thing imo

I can probably do it with a macro +

experimental_shell_command

Yea, agree, let’s make the

experimental_shell_command

do what we need to instead.. 🙂 PR for pex support here: https://github.com/pantsbuild/pants/pull/13168