A custom check is a Python function that checks for a certain condition to exist on the running system, usually using methods that SCons supplies to take care of the details of checking whether a compilation succeeds, a link succeeds, a program is runnable, etc. A simple custom check for the existence of a specific library might look as follows:

mylib_test_source_file = """
#include <mylib.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
    MyLibrary mylib(argc, argv);
    return 0;
}
"""

def CheckMyLibrary(context):
    context.Message('Checking for MyLibrary...')
    result = context.TryLink(mylib_test_source_file, '.c')
    context.Result(result)
    return result
    

The Message and Result methods should typically begin and end a custom check to let the user know what's going on: the Message call prints the specified message (with no trailing newline) and the Result call prints yes if the check succeeds and no if it doesn't. The TryLink method actually tests for whether the specified program text will successfully link.

(Note that a custom check can modify its check based on any arguments you choose to pass it, or by using or modifying the configure context environment in the context.env attribute.)

This custom check function is then attached to the configure context by passing a dictionary to the Configure call that maps a name of the check to the underlying function:

env = Environment()
conf = Configure(env, custom_tests={'CheckMyLibrary': CheckMyLibrary})
    

You'll typically want to make the check and the function name the same, as we've done here, to avoid potential confusion.

We can then put these pieces together and actually call the CheckMyLibrary check as follows:

mylib_test_source_file = """
#include <mylib.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
    MyLibrary mylib(argc, argv);
    return 0;
}
"""

def CheckMyLibrary(context):
    context.Message('Checking for MyLibrary... ')
    result = context.TryLink(mylib_test_source_file, '.c')
    context.Result(result)
    return result

env = Environment()
conf = Configure(env, custom_tests={'CheckMyLibrary': CheckMyLibrary})
if not conf.CheckMyLibrary():
    print('MyLibrary is not installed!')
    Exit(1)
env = conf.Finish()

# We would then add actual calls like Program() to build
# something using the "env" construction environment.
    

If MyLibrary is not installed on the system, the output will look like:

% scons
scons: Reading SConscript file ...
Checking for MyLibrary... no
MyLibrary is not installed!
    

If MyLibrary is installed, the output will look like:

% scons
scons: Reading SConscript file ...
Checking for MyLibrary... yes
scons: done reading SConscript
scons: Building targets ...
    .
    .
    .