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diff --git a/testing/mozbase/docs/mozinfo.rst b/testing/mozbase/docs/mozinfo.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..2f9eb5f7e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/testing/mozbase/docs/mozinfo.rst @@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ +:mod:`mozinfo` --- Get system information +========================================= + +Throughout `mozmill <https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Mozmill>`_ +and other Mozilla python code, checking the underlying +platform is done in many different ways. The various checks needed +lead to a lot of copy+pasting, leaving the reader to wonder....is this +specific check necessary for (e.g.) an operating system? Because +information is not consolidated, checks are not done consistently, nor +is it defined what we are checking for. + +`mozinfo <https://github.com/mozilla/mozbase/tree/master/mozinfo>`_ +proposes to solve this problem. mozinfo is a bridge interface, +making the underlying (complex) plethora of OS and architecture +combinations conform to a subset of values of relevance to +Mozilla software. The current implementation exposes relevant keys and +values such as: ``os``, ``version``, ``bits``, and ``processor``. Additionally, the +service pack in use is available on the windows platform. + + +API Usage +--------- + +mozinfo is a python package. Downloading the software and running +``python setup.py develop`` will allow you to do ``import mozinfo`` +from python. +`mozinfo.py <https://raw.github.com/mozilla/mozbase/master/mozinfo/mozinfo/mozinfo.py>`_ +is the only file contained is this package, +so if you need a single-file solution, you can just download or call +this file through the web. + +The top level attributes (``os``, ``version``, ``bits``, ``processor``) are +available as module globals:: + + if mozinfo.os == 'win': ... + +In addition, mozinfo exports a dictionary, ``mozinfo.info``, that +contain these values. mozinfo also exports: + +- ``choices``: a dictionary of possible values for os, bits, and + processor +- ``main``: the console_script entry point for mozinfo +- ``unknown``: a singleton denoting a value that cannot be determined + +``unknown`` has the string representation ``"UNKNOWN"``. +``unknown`` will evaluate as ``False`` in python:: + + if not mozinfo.os: ... # unknown! + + +Command Line Usage +------------------ + +mozinfo comes with a command line program, ``mozinfo`` which may be used to +diagnose one's current system. + +Example output:: + + os: linux + version: Ubuntu 10.10 + bits: 32 + processor: x86 + +Three of these fields, os, bits, and processor, have a finite set of +choices. You may display the value of these choices using +``mozinfo --os``, ``mozinfo --bits``, and ``mozinfo --processor``. +``mozinfo --help`` documents command-line usage. + + +.. automodule:: mozinfo + :members: |