JSBSim won't make install

[dershow]

I'm submitting a ...

• bug report
• feature request
• support request => Please do not submit support request here, see note at the top of this template.

Describe the issue

I'm trying to build the current version of JSBSim on MacOSX. I've done it plenty of times before, although the last version was perhaps 6 months ago.
I do git clone, then cmake, make and make install.

make seems to work to build the binaries and libraries, then make install reports building most of the targets, ending with these:

-- Installing: /Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/install/jsbsim/scripts/Prefix.kml
-- Installing: /Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/install/jsbsim/scripts/c1724.xml
-- Installing: /Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/install/jsbsim/scripts/B747_script1.xml
-- Installing: /Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/install/jsbsim/_jsbsim.so
-- Installing: /Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/install/jsbsim/__init__.py

Then gives this:

CMake Error at python/cmake_install.cmake:91 (file):
  file INSTALL cannot find
  "/Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git5/jsbsim-code/python/__init__.pyi":
  No such file or directory.
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  cmake_install.cmake:52 (include)


make: *** [install] Error 1

What is the current behavior?

What is the expected behavior?

make install should not return any errors

Please tell us about your environment:

MacOS 15.7.4 Apple Silicon M2.
I have built the same way on this machine in the past.

Other information

Any suggestions for how to proceed?

[bcoconni]

Indeed there has been some changes and quite honestly, I didn't think anyone was using the install feature. Sorry about that.

If you want to install headers, you should use CMake from the directory where JSBSim has been built:

> cmake --install . --component devel

If you need to install the executable, you should use also use CMake:

> cmake --install . --component runtime

[bcoconni]

And it seems we need to update the docs:

jsbsim/doc/DevelopersDocs.md

Lines 127 to 141 in 9bd0e18

	## Installing JSBSim
	Once JSBSim is built and tested, you can install the C++ headers and library. For that, you can invoke GNU make from the `build` directory
	```bash
	> make install
	```
	By default, CMake copies the files to a location where the headers and library are available platform wide (typically `/usr/include`, `/usr/lib` or `/usr/local/include`, `/usr/local/lib` for *nix OSes). If you want to install the files in another location you can pass the flag `CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` to cmake.
	```bash
	cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/path/to/install ..
	make
	make install
	```

[dershow]

It seems that if I follow the initial instructions that I am running into python file error.
if I use cmake, as you suggested, it isn't installing the python module.
I also just looked at the docs you pointed to and the next listed step is for python and that also gives an error.

I'm still not clear on how to do a local build, so that I can also have a local python module to import.
This used to work:

mkdir JSBSim_git
cd JSBSim_git
git clone https://github.com/JSBSim-Team/jsbsim.git jsbsim-code
cd jsbsim-code/
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git/install ..
make
make install

python ../tests/CheckAircrafts.py

Now, with your change above, I can compile the code, but the python module doesn't seem to get built.

[bcoconni]

It seems that if I follow the initial instructions that I am running into python file error.

Could you tell us what is the error that you get ?

If you need the Python module to be installed, you need to add --component pymodules to the CMake install command which would make the following workflow:

mkdir JSBSim_git
cd JSBSim_git
git clone https://github.com/JSBSim-Team/jsbsim.git jsbsim-code
cd jsbsim-code/
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/Users/adershowitz/Programming/JSBSim_git/install ..
make
cmake --install . --component devel --component runtime --component pymodules

python ../tests/CheckAircrafts.py

Note that the installation of the Python module with the former make install or the current cmake --install . --component pymodules is meant to build Ubuntu and Fedora packages because the Python module is copied directly in the system folders.

For a much cleaner installation of the Python module, I would advise using pip install --user jsbsim or, even better, using a Python environment and call pip install jsbsim.