Re: converting to subdir-objects

[Harlan Stenn]

Bob Friesenhahn writes:
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> On Sun, 8 Mar 2015, Harlan Stenn wrote:
> 
> >
> > 'make dist' and 'make distcheck' have been working fine for a Very Long
> > Time in this project.
> >
> > In my attempt to get subdir-objects working NTP, I added
> > "subdir-objects" to the list of options in the AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE line in
> > its configure.ac file.  I figured I'd add that option, run autoreconf,
> > 'make', and see what happened.
> 
> I had the perhaps mistaken impression (due to the mention of "old=20
> style" build tree") that you are migrating to a non-recursive build.

Not yet, and again, while I'd love to find a way to convert to a
non-recursive build I really do like the ability to have a Makefile in
each subdir that will DTRT, at least as far as building the executables
goes.

I also have a preference that all of the executables and things end up
in the appropriate subdirs, because otherwise I fear (I haven't checked)
that the "target" directory will become way more populated than I want
to have to look at.

> The Automake manual is pretty clear about expectations for 'make dist'
> 
> https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/automake.html#Dist
> 
> Particularly the statement:
> 
> "Note that when packages are nested using AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS (see=20
> Subpackages), then =A1$(distdir)=A2 and =A1$(top_distdir)=A2 are relative=
>  to=20
> the package where =A1make dist=A2 was run, not to any sub-packages=20
> involved. "

Yes, I've been bitten by that before and the current "implementation"
works and accounts for this.

> If one has a non-recursive build then there is just one Makefile=20
> although a whole build system might be a mix of recursive and=20
> non-recursive methodologies.  In a non-resursive build, subordinate=20
> Makefile's are responsible for copying the files they are responsible=20
> for into the distribution.
> 
> It seems to me that strategies which are not compatible with=20
> Automake's own 'make dist' are not likely to work reliably.

I expect any solution for NTP will be some combination of different,
arcane, and intricate.

H