Add new compiler.get_argument_syntax method

Some compilers try very had to pretend they're another compiler (ICC
pretends to be GCC and Linux and MacOS, and MSVC on windows), Clang
behaves much like GCC, but now also has clang-cl, which behaves like MSVC.

This method provides an easy way to determine whether testing for MSVC
like arguments `/w1234` or gcc like arguments `-Wfoo` are likely to
succeed, without having to check for dozens of compilers and the host
operating system, (as you would otherwise have to do with ICC).

3 files changed, 24 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/mesonbuild/compilers/c.py b/mesonbuild/compilers/c.py
index a6ae4af..9b24e85 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/compilers/c.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/compilers/c.py
@@ -1543,6 +1543,9 @@ class VisualStudioCCompiler(CCompiler):
         # false without compiling anything
         return name in ['dllimport', 'dllexport']
 
+    def get_argument_syntax(self):
+        return 'msvc'
+
 
 class ArmCCompiler(ArmCompiler, CCompiler):
     def __init__(self, exelist, version, compiler_type, is_cross, exe_wrapper=None, **kwargs):
diff --git a/mesonbuild/compilers/compilers.py b/mesonbuild/compilers/compilers.py
index 8adacef..a038abf 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/compilers/compilers.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/compilers/compilers.py
@@ -1214,6 +1214,17 @@ class Compiler:
         m = 'Language {} does not support position-independent executable'
         raise EnvironmentException(m.format(self.get_display_language()))
 
+    def get_argument_syntax(self):
+        """Returns the argument family type.
+
+        Compilers fall into families if they try to emulate the command line
+        interface of another compiler. For example, clang is in the GCC family
+        since it accepts most of the same arguments as GCC. ICL (ICC on
+        windows) is in the MSVC family since it accepts most of the same
+        arguments as MSVC.
+        """
+        return 'other'
+
 
 @enum.unique
 class CompilerType(enum.Enum):
@@ -1449,6 +1460,9 @@ class GnuLikeCompiler(abc.ABC):
         # For other targets, discard the .def file.
         return []
 
+    def get_argument_syntax(self):
+        return 'gcc'
+
 
 class GnuCompiler(GnuLikeCompiler):
     """
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
index e724e6a..c2cfe5c 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
@@ -935,6 +935,7 @@ class CompilerHolder(InterpreterObject):
                              'first_supported_link_argument': self.first_supported_link_argument_method,
                              'unittest_args': self.unittest_args_method,
                              'symbols_have_underscore_prefix': self.symbols_have_underscore_prefix_method,
+                             'get_argument_syntax': self.get_argument_syntax_method,
                              })
 
     def _dep_msg(self, deps, endl):
@@ -1532,6 +1533,12 @@ class CompilerHolder(InterpreterObject):
         args = mesonlib.stringlistify(args)
         return [a for a in args if self.has_func_attribute_method(a, kwargs)]
 
+    @FeatureNew('compiler.get_argument_syntax_method', '0.49.0')
+    @noPosargs
+    @noKwargs
+    def get_argument_syntax_method(self, args, kwargs):
+        return self.compiler.get_argument_syntax()
+
 
 ModuleState = namedtuple('ModuleState', [
     'build_to_src', 'subproject', 'subdir', 'current_lineno', 'environment',