On windows, (run ./configure) results in CreateProcess(): Exec format error

[gridbugs]

Windows uses file extensions to determine how to open files. This means that actions that run shell scripts without extensions (such as configure scripts) do not work on windows. Opam has explicit support for running scripts, added in ocaml/opam#3348. Dune should be extended in the same way.

Without this change, dune is unable to install any packages with configure scripts. Notably this includes the ocaml compiler itself.

[nojb]

From my point of view the problem is not the file extension, but the fact that such shell scripts are not binaries and so cannot be "executed" (= passed to CreateProcess). Instead, shouldn't the Dune file be fixed to call the needed interpreter explicitly, eg (run bash ./configure), or (bash "./configure"), etc?

[gridbugs]

The problem is that dune generates package lockfiles by parsing opam files, and so when ./configure appears in an opam file, the corresponding lockfile will include (run ./configure).

[nojb]

The problem is that dune generates package lockfiles by parsing opam files, and so when ./configure appears in an opam file, the corresponding lockfile will include (run ./configure).

OK, thanks.

[Leonidas-from-XIV]

This issue is not limited to package management either, any package that runs (run ./script) will fail on Windows, thus I would suggest changing the run action to do something smarter on Windows.

[rgrinberg]

Probably making the same change to user written run actions is the right thing to do as well.