What is the difference between "select" vs "depends" in the Linux kernel Kconfig?
Solution 1
depends on
indicates the symbol(s) must already be positively selected (=y
) in order for this option to be configured. For example, depends on FB && (ZORRO || PCI)
means FB
must have been selected, and (&&) either ZORRO
or (||) PCI
. For things like make menuconfig
, this determines whether or not an option will be presented.
select
positively sets a symbol. For example, select FB_CFB_FILLRECT
will mean FB_CFB_FILLRECT=y
. This fulfills a potential dependency of some other config option(s). Note that the kernel docs discourage the use of this for "visible" symbols (which can be selected/deselected by the user) or for symbols that themselves have dependencies, since those will not be checked.
Reference: https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/kbuild/kconfig-language.txt
Solution 2
depends
means that the option only shows up in the menu if its prerequisites (the boolean construct behind it) are met.
select
means that, when the user selects this option, the option given as argument to select
will be auto-selected.
Solution 3
I like to think about is as:
-
select
is a "subset" ofdepends
, for when there is only one possible dependency for a feature.Since there is only one possible dependency,
select
just selects that option automatically, and saves you the work of explicitly picking the dependency manually first.This automation is what you gain from the subset restriction of having only one possible dependency.
-
depends
is more general, and works on cases where a feature depends on an interface that has multiple implementations.For example, on 4.15, there are 2 BPF implementations: Classic and Extended.
Therefore, the
BPF_JIT
feature depends on at least one of the implementations being enabled:config BPF_JIT depends on HAVE_CBPF_JIT || HAVE_EBPF_JIT
Since there are two possible implementations for
BFP_JIT
, Kconfig could not sensibly select the right one automatically.Sometimes I wish I could say: "if none of the dependencies is met, select this one by default" though, that would allow to further automate stuff.
There are also "something hides another option on menuconfig" effects, but these are just fluff :-)
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TheMeaningfulEngineer
I like to think of myself as a Hardware/Software guy who will gladly discuss referential transparency during a code review and the next moment take a circular saw to build a casing for a self made power supply. My main interest can be summarized into Linux related software development, low power electronics and general DIY projects.
Updated on September 18, 2022Comments
-
TheMeaningfulEngineer over 1 year
What are the differences in dependencies between
select
anddepends on
in the kernels Kconfig files?config FB_CIRRUS tristate "Cirrus Logic support" depends on FB && (ZORRO || PCI) select FB_CFB_FILLRECT select FB_CFB_COPYAREA select FB_CFB_IMAGEBLIT ---help--- This enables support for Cirrus Logic GD542x/543x based boards on Amiga: SD64, Piccolo, Picasso II/II+, Picasso IV, or EGS Spectrum.
In the example above, how is
FB_CIRRUS
diffrently related toFB && (ZORRO || PCI)
than it is toFB_CFB_FILLRECT
,FB_CFB_COPYAREA
andFB_CFB_IMAGEBLIT
?Update
I've noticed that
depend on
doesn't really do much in terms of compilation order.For example. A successful build of AppB depends on a statically linked LibB to be built first. Setting
depends on LibB
in Kconfig for AppB will not force the LibB to be built first. Settingselect LibB
will.