Re: Some problems I had with texi/info files

[Ralf Wildenhues]

Hello Ben,

* BeN [F1233 121D312] wrote on Sat, Feb 17, 2007 at 03:59:04AM CET:
>
> >cat Makefile.am
> info_TEXINFOS = project.texi
> 
> >cat configure.ac
> AC_INIT([project],1.0.1,address@hidden)
> AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign 1.6])
> AC_PROG_INSTALL
> AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
> AC_OUTPUT
> 
> #the project.texi file has a line :
> @include version.texi

You also need a line like
  @setfilename project.info

> *1st problem*
> 
> version.texi is missing when running `make'.

[...]
> Rules in Makefile are:
> 
> $(srcdir)/version.texi: # $(srcdir)/stamp-vti
> $(srcdir)/stamp-vti: project.texi $(top_srcdir)/configure

Do you by chance also use AM_MAINTAINER_MODE?  If yes, then configure
with --enable-maintainer-mode.

> *2nd problem*
> 
> >cd build
> >../project/configure
> >make
> ../project/project.texi:7: @include `version.texi': No such file or 
> directory.

This problem will be fixed once you fix the first problem.

> makeinfo -I ../project -o ../project/project.info ../project/project.texi
> [...]
> 
> Here I was expecting to have something like that:
> makeinfo -I ../project -o ./project.info ../project/project.texi
> 
> From my point of view the info file should be generated in the build 
> directory. In a more general case shouldn't all generated files 
> including temp files be generated in the build directory ?

It's easiest if all distributed files are in the source tree.  
And .info are distributed by default.  And also note this (quoting
automake/NEWS for version 1.8):

|  - Update .info files in the source tree, not in the build tree.  This
|    is what the GNU Coding Standard recommend.  Only Automake 1.7.x
|    used to update these files in the build tree (previous versions did
|    it in the source tree too), and it caused several problems, varying
|    from mere annoyance to portability issues.

> The source 
> directory may have its write access denied (indeed very unexpected) ... 
> Anyway the discussion is open for temp  or intermediat files but output 
> target such as .info files should definitevely be generated in the build 
> directory. Well that's what I think ^^.

Well, if you unpack a tarball, then the info files contained in it
should be up to date, thus they will not be changed, thus the source
tree will not be written to, thus it can cope without write access.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Ralf