doc: clarify ICU source layout for --with-icu-source by skdas20 · Pull Request #62011 · nodejs/node

skdas20 · 2026-02-26T18:36:34Z

Summary

Clarifies --with-icu-source build docs to match current ICU release packaging and expected directory layout:

Updated example archive name from icu4c-##.#-src.tgz to icu4c-##.#-sources.tgz.
Clarified that --with-icu-source must point to an extracted ICU source archive layout.
Added note that a plain ICU Git checkout is not sufficient unless prepared into that layout.

Validation

Ran markdown lint on the changed file:

node tools/lint-md/lint-md.mjs BUILDING.md

Result: exit code 0.

nodejs-github-bot · 2026-02-26T18:36:40Z

Review requested:

@nodejs/build
@nodejs/tsc

Renegade334 · 2026-02-27T01:50:33Z

+The directory passed to `--with-icu-source` must contain the extracted ICU
+source layout (for example, `source/data/in/icudt*l.dat`). A plain Git checkout
+of the ICU repository is not sufficient unless it has been prepared to match
+this layout.


I'm not sure this is incredibly clear with respect to what the paths or "prepared to match" mean. Converting from the source code tree to the compiled source archive is an active build step (make dist), not just a "layout"; I don't think we need to mention what to do with a checked-out source tree, only that it's not the way to do it.

Suggested change

The directory passed to `--with-icu-source` must contain the extracted ICU

source layout (for example, `source/data/in/icudt*l.dat`). A plain Git checkout

of the ICU repository is not sufficient unless it has been prepared to match

this layout.

(Note that simply cloning the icu4c repository will not work here; the source

directory must have been unpacked from the compiled `-sources` archive.)

Renegade334 · 2026-02-27T01:51:18Z


 ```bash
 ./configure --with-intl=full-icu --with-icu-source=http://url/to/icu.tgz
 ```

 #### Windows

 First unpack latest ICU to `deps/icu`
 [icu4c-**##.#**-src.tgz](https://icu.unicode.org/download) (or `.zip`)
 as `deps/icu` (You'll have: `deps/icu/source/...`)

 ```powershell
 .\vcbuild full-icu
 ```


Also need to update the archive names here.

github-actions · 2026-07-28T00:18:11Z

This pull request has been marked as stale due to 90 days of inactivity.
It will be automatically closed in 30 days if no further activity occurs. If this is still relevant, please leave a comment or update it to keep it open.

skdas20 · 2026-08-26T19:59:11Z

Thanks @Renegade334 — applied both. Used your wording verbatim for the icu4c note, since you're right that make dist is an active build step rather than a matter of layout, and saying only that a clone isn't the way to do it is clearer than describing what to do with one. Also updated the archive name in the Windows section to -sources.tgz to match.

Signed-off-by: skdas20 <skdas5405@gmail.com>

Use the reviewer's wording for the note about cloning icu4c, and update the archive name in the Windows section to match. Signed-off-by: skdas20 <skdas5405@gmail.com>

skdas20 · 2026-08-27T15:34:19Z

Pushed fixes for both failing lint jobs.

lint-js-and-md was flagging the note itself:

BUILDING.md
1010:2-1010:11 warning Use "<nothing>" instead of "Note that" prohibited-strings remark-lint

@Renegade334 — that's on your suggested wording rather than anything you could have known about; prohibited-strings bans "Note that" repo-wide. I've kept your phrasing and just dropped the opening:

(Simply cloning the icu4c repository will not work here; the source directory
must have been unpacked from the compiled -sources archive.)

lint-commit-message was failing on not ok 6 signed-off-by. That was true of the original commit on this PR as well, so it had been failing since the branch was opened — both commits now carry a Signed-off-by trailer.

sxa · 2026-08-27T16:38:03Z

@@ -992,21 +978,24 @@ that works for both your host and target environments.

 You can find other ICU releases at
 [the ICU homepage](https://icu.unicode.org/download).


Suggested change

[the ICU homepage](https://icu.unicode.org/download).

[the ICU homepage](https://unicode-org.github.io/icu/download/).

With the https://unicode-org.github.io/icu/download/ page redirecting you elsewhere we should probably target the new location.

nodejs-github-bot · 2026-08-27T17:54:25Z

Commit Queue failed

   ⚠  Could not retrieve the email or name of the PR author's from user's GitHub profile!
   ✘  Requested Changes: 1
   ✘  - Stewart X Addison (@sxa): https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62011#pullrequestreview-5043250790

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- Loading data for nodejs/node/pull/62011
✔  Done loading data for nodejs/node/pull/62011
----------------------------------- PR info ------------------------------------
Title      doc: clarify ICU source layout for --with-icu-source (#62011)
   ⚠  Could not retrieve the email or name of the PR author's from user's GitHub profile!
Branch     skdas20:docs/clarify-icu-source-layout-60947 -> nodejs:main
Labels     doc, build, commit-queue, commit-queue-squash, stale
Commits    2
 - doc: clarify ICU source layout for configure
 - doc: apply review feedback on ICU source archive wording
Committers 1
 - Sumit Kumar Das <151006536+skdas20@users.noreply.github.com>
PR-URL: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62011
Reviewed-By: René <contact.9a5d6388@renegade334.me.uk>
------------------------------ Generated metadata ------------------------------
PR-URL: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62011
Reviewed-By: René <contact.9a5d6388@renegade334.me.uk>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   ℹ  This PR was created on Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:36:34 GMT
   ✘  Requested Changes: 1
   ✘  - Stewart X Addison (@sxa): https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62011#pullrequestreview-5043250790
   ✔  Approvals: 1
   ✔  - René (@Renegade334): https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/62011#pullrequestreview-5042759412
   ✔  Last GitHub CI successful
   ℹ  Green GitHub CI is sufficient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   ✔  Aborted `git node land` session in /home/runner/work/node/node/.ncu

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nodejs-github-bot added build Issues and PRs related to build files or the CI. doc Issues and PRs related to the documentations. labels Feb 26, 2026

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github-actions Bot added the stale label Jul 28, 2026

skdas20 force-pushed the docs/clarify-icu-source-layout-60947 branch from 34e0949 to 8bac4b8 Compare August 27, 2026 15:32

skdas20 added 2 commits August 27, 2026 15:33

doc: clarify ICU source layout for configure

9e80d65

Signed-off-by: skdas20 <skdas5405@gmail.com>

doc: apply review feedback on ICU source archive wording

f47d9df

Use the reviewer's wording for the note about cloning icu4c, and update the archive name in the Windows section to match. Signed-off-by: skdas20 <skdas5405@gmail.com>

skdas20 force-pushed the docs/clarify-icu-source-layout-60947 branch from 8bac4b8 to f47d9df Compare August 27, 2026 15:33

Renegade334 approved these changes Aug 27, 2026

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		@@ -992,21 +978,24 @@ that works for both your host and target environments.

		You can find other ICU releases at
		[the ICU homepage](https://icu.unicode.org/download).

	[the ICU homepage](https://icu.unicode.org/download).
	[the ICU homepage](https://unicode-org.github.io/icu/download/).

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skdas20 commented Feb 26, 2026

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