Re: [PATCH 1/5] Document AM_MAKEFLAGS workaround to the macro override problem.

[Ralf Wildenhues]

* Bruno Haible wrote on Sun, Oct 04, 2009 at 08:02:35PM CEST:
> Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > +Makefiles generated by @command{automake} expand @code{$(AM_MAKEFLAGS)}
> > +on the command line of submakes, which can be used for propagated overrides
> > +(@pxref{Subdirectories, , Automake, automake, @acronym{GNU} Automake}).
> 
> Can you add an example for it?

Yes, I suppose we should.  I chickened out on this because I'm not
actually sure whether AM_MAKEFLAGS was/is intended to be for the
Makefile.am author, or for the user running 'make' (cf. CFLAGS vs.
AM_CFLAGS).  The Automake manual doesn't say it.  As an example, the
GCC and binutils trees use AM_MAKEFLAGS in their Makefile.am files,
so there, the user won't be able to use it.  However, GCC is special
in this case anyway.

We could go and add another flag, and then declare one of them for the
developer and one for the user.  We can't use MAKEFLAGS obviously.  Any
good naming suggestions?

>    make MKDIR_P='mkdir -p' AM_MAKEFLAGS="MKDIR_P='mkdir -p'"

This is necessary, unfortunately.  And there should also be a test in
Automake about this.

Cheers,
Ralf