Re: Automake - distcheck fails on install-data-local

[Tyler Retzlaff]

Hi,

On 2/22/2015 3:40 AM, Asaf Dalet wrote:
> Hi
> I am trying to do a conditional sysconf_DATA, meaning, I want to install my
> conf file into $(sysconfdir) only if it is not already installed.
>
> i tried to use install-data-local and it seems to work on a real
> installation, but 'make distcheck' fails.
Your target rules aren't obeying DESTDIR.
> install-data-local:
>         @if test -f "$(sysconfdir)/settings.conf"; then \
>           echo settings.conf already exists at $(sysconfdir). not overriding.; \
>         else \
>           mkdir -p $(sysconfdir); \
>           cp $(srcdir)/conf/settings.conf $(sysconfdir)/settings.conf; \
>         fi
>         echo "conf_dir=$(sysconfdir)" >> "$(sysconfdir)/settings.conf";
When these execute they'll be working on --prefix and --sysconfdir which 
probably in your project defaults to /usr/local and /usr/local/etc 
respectively during the make distcheck.

You need to use DESTDIR in your target rules.

Use cp conf/settings.conf $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/settings.conf

This way when make distcheck performs the install it will copy to 
DESTDIR and not the running system.

> uninstall-local:
>         rm -rf $(sysconfdir)
>         rm -rf $(docdir)

Definitely you need to fix this.  If you were to run distcheck as root 
you would have just deleted /etc on your system (assuming default 
--prefix and --sysconfdir)

Instead try something like.

uninstall-local:
    rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/settings.conf

Keep in mind you can probably test these things without full make 
distcheck by doing.

make install DESTDIR=`pwd`/testprefix

Further reading see use of DESTDIR in the examples here.
http://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/html_node/Extending.html

Good luck,

Tyler

> what's going on...?
>
> Thanks,
> Asaf