Re: [PATCH] "make dist" did not depend on $(BUILT_SOURCES)

[Jim Meyering]

On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 8:35 PM, Nick Bowler <address@hidden> wrote:
> On 2017-11-28 18:13 -0800, Jim Meyering wrote:
>> On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 12:45 PM, Nick Bowler <address@hidden> wrote:
>> > The Automake manual unequivocally states that BUILT_SOURCES files are
>> > generated only when running 'make all', 'make check' or 'make install'.
>> >
>> > So if they are going to be generated on 'make dist' as well, then the
>> > manual needs a corresponding update.
>>
>> Hi Nick,
>> Thanks for the suggestion, but I do not think it is desired. "make
>> dist" is already defined as building everything that goes into the
>> distribution tarball, and that implies it must also build anything
>> (e.g., from BUILT_SOURCES) that happens to be required to do that.
>
> I agree that it *should* but not that it *must*, because BUILT_SOURCES
> explicitly (by design) bypasses the usual prerequisite mechanisms.
>
> If you use normal prerequisites instead of BUILT_SOURCS everything
> works just fine wrt. distribution, of course, and is the approach I
> would personally recommend in all cases.
>
>> Perhaps more importantly, this is an implementation detail that feels
>> like it should not be made part of the contract that the documentation
>> provides ...
>
> But now with the change applied, as it stands the documentation is
> simply wrong.  For example, this passage from the manual (§9.4 Built
> Sources):
>
>   "... BUILT_SOURCES is honored only by ‘make all’, ‘make check’ and
>   ‘make install’."
>
> is no longer true.  This error can be corrected without explicitly
> documenting the new behaviour, for example by making the list of
> targets non-exhaustive in nature.
>
> Perhaps something like:
>
>   ... BUILT_SOURCES is honored only by certain targets, including ‘make
>   all’, ‘make check’ and ‘make install’.

Thanks for keeping us honest.
That sounds reasonable. Send a patch?