[bug|question] When package is editable runenv_info variables are taken from package_info method instead of layout

[lyanovsk]

Describe the bug

env. variables defined in package_info (runenv_info), cannot be overriden in layout method using self.layouts.source.runenv_info.define_path("SOME_PATH", "src")

How to reproduce it

Let's we have two packages library:

from conan import ConanFile
from conan.tools.files import copy
from conan.tools.layout import basic_layout


class mylibRecipe(ConanFile):
    name = "mylib"
    version = "0.1"

    # Sources are located in the same place as this recipe, copy them to the recipe
    exports_sources = "src/*"

    def layout(self):
        basic_layout(self)
        self.layouts.build.runenv_info.define_path("SOME_PATH", "src")

    def build(self):
        pass

    def package(self):
        copy(self, "1.txt", self.source_folder, self.package_folder)

    def package_info(self):
        self.runenv_info.define_path("SOME_PATH", self.package_folder)

and there is a src folder with some files(1.txt for example).
Here is consumer package:

from conan import ConanFile
from conan.tools.cmake import CMake, cmake_layout
from conan.tools.env import VirtualBuildEnv, VirtualRunEnv
from conan.tools.layout import basic_layout


class consumerRecipe(ConanFile):
    name = "consumer"
    version = "0.1.0"

    requires = ("mylib/0.1",)

    def layout(self):
        basic_layout(self)

    def generate(self):
        env = VirtualBuildEnv(self)
        env.generate()
        run = VirtualRunEnv(self)
        run.generate()
    def build(self):
        pass

    def package(self):
        pass

1. Add mylib as editable
2. Run conan install . on consumer
3. Look at build/conan/conanrunenv.sh
4. SOME_PATH will be set root folder of mylib package
5. Comment out package_info method and run above again
6. SOME_PATH will be set correctly to mylib/src

[memsharded]

Hi @lyanovsk

Thanks very much for your report.

It is true that there is an assymetry on how the self.cpp_info.includedirs/xxxdirs and other information is managed, and how the runenv_info and conf_info is managed.

I have done a couple of tests in #19267 that capture the current behavior and also a possible solution.

As a summary, the current behavior:

• The cpp_info from the package_info() doesn't have precedence over the layout() defined self.cpp.source/build information, so defining for example self.cpp_info.includedirs in package_info() is ignored if the layout() defines self.cpp.source.includedirs is defined in layout() as editable
• But the conf_info and runenv_info from package_info() will have precedence over information defined in the layout() method. The recommended solution is to use the self.layouts.package.conf_info/runenv_info in the layout() method, please try that and let us know.

I am also exploring the possibility of changing the precedence in layout() to make the self.buildenv_info/conf_info and self.layouts.build/source symmetric and same behavior as self.cpp_info and self.cpp.build/source in #19268. But this might be risky, maybe it could break existing users, so this is currently a draft, not guarantees it will be merged, we need to carefully analyze it.

[lyanovsk]

Thanks for suggestion.
Removing set env. variable from package_info and using self.layouts do help, but there are two "problems" with:

1. Used differently:
   in package_info one need to supply full package folder path or self.package_folder, but in layout it should be relative to package folder:

def layout(self):
  self.layouts.package.runenv_info.define_path("SOME_PATH", "")
def package_info(self):
  self.runenv_info.define_path("SOME_PATH", self.package_folder)

2. Need to change recipe, so definition of env. variable should be in layouts to support editables

I think it would be better to put this into docs, if #19268 won't be merged

[memsharded]

#19268 has been merged, declared as a bug, it will be in next Conan 2.23.
Thanks very much again for the feedback!