RFR: 8311302: Allow for jlinking a custom runtime without packaged modules being present [v20]

[Mandy Chung]

On Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:53:29 GMT, Severin Gehwolf <sgehwolf at openjdk.org> wrote:

> Wasn't the intention to make "creating a linkable runtime image" a build only decision and make the relevant infrastructure classes build-only artefacts?

Build-only decision means that the linkable runtime image is only produced by JDK build.   Supporting classes of this tool like the code generating the diffs can reside in `src/jdk.jlink` if possible as that helps keeping in other jlink code.

I misinterpreted that this is no longer a build tool approach as I was confused when seeing the source files are moved to `src/jdk.jlink`.   The build tool can stay in unnamed module as before but the tool would need to run on the newly built or interim JDK (not the boot JDK) which explains why the code of generating the diffs can be part of jlink.

Regarding my comment to "only compile those classes when JDK is configured to build linkable images" was premature.  I thought of some complexity last night and if it could be filtered easily, it would be a bonus.   If not, also no issue.

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PR Comment: https://git.openjdk.org/jdk/pull/14787#issuecomment-2000188399