Re: automake/autoreconf: Incomprehensible error messages bugs

[Bruce Korb]

On Tuesday 25 January 2005 01:47 pm, Alexandre Duret-Lutz wrote:
>  >> > > $ autoreconf
>  >> > > autoreconf: configure.ac: AM_GNU_GETTEXT is used, but not 
> AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION
>  >> 
>  >> > 1.  The automake example of AM_GNU_GETTEXT does not show
>  >> >      AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION being used in conjunction with it.
>  >> >     In fact, it isn't even documented at all.

>  Bruce> Um, okay, but if automake is going to emit the message, then it only
>  Bruce> makes sense (to me) that automake include the documentation.  
> 
> That would make sense to me too.  However automake is not
> emitting the message, autoreconf does.  Actually automake knows
> nothing about AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION: it's none of its business.

OK.  "autoreconf" then:)

  # ------------------- #
  # Running autopoint.  #
  # ------------------- #

  # Gettext is a bit of a problem: its macros are not necessarily
  # visible to aclocal, so if we start with a completely striped down
  # package (think of a fresh CVS checkout), running `aclocal' first
  # will fail: the Gettext macros are missing.
  #
  # Therefore, we can't use the traces to decide if we use Gettext or
  # not.  I guess that once Gettext move to 2.5x we will be able to,
  # but in the meanwhile forget it.
  #
  # We can only grep for AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION in configure.ac.  You
  # might think this approach is naive, and indeed it is, as it
  # prevents one from embedding AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION in another *.m4, but
  # anyway we don't limit the generality, since... that's what
  # autopoint does.  Actually, it is even more restrictive, as it
  # greps for `^AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION\('.  We did this above, while
  # scanning configure.ac.

> Maybe the autoreconf documentation should point to the Gettext
> manual.  Care to patch the Autoconf manual?

Below.  :-)

Cheers,
  Bruce

Index: autoconf.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/autoconf/autoconf/doc/autoconf.texi,v
retrieving revision 1.868
diff -b -B -u -p -r1.868 autoconf.texi
--- autoconf.texi       28 Jan 2005 21:55:57 -0000      1.868
+++ autoconf.texi       30 Jan 2005 17:47:44 -0000
@@ -1436,10 +1436,10 @@ System in a fresh tree.

 @command{autoreconf} runs @command{autoconf}, @command{autoheader},
 @command{aclocal}, @command{automake}, @command{libtoolize}, and
address@hidden (when appropriate) repeatedly to update the
address@hidden (when appropriate, see below) repeatedly to update the
 @acronym{GNU} Build System in the specified directories and their
-subdirectories (@pxref{Subdirectories}).  By default, it only remakes
-those files that are older than their sources.
+subdirectories (@pxref{Subdirectories}).  By default, it only remakes those
+files that are older than their sources.

 If you install a new version of some tool, you can make
 @command{autoreconf} remake @emph{all} of the files by giving it the
@@ -1451,6 +1451,13 @@ method handles the timestamps of configu
 properly, but does not pass @address@hidden or
 @address@hidden

address@hidden is GNU's gettext program to add the gettext
+infrastructure necessary for a source package.  @command{autopoint} will be
+run if the macro address@hidden'' is found in the
address@hidden file.  That program relies on another macro
address@hidden(<gtxt-ver>)}'' which must @emph{also} be present in
address@hidden  See the GNU Gettext documentation for further details.
+
 @noindent
 @command{autoreconf} accepts the following options: