bug#9807: libtool is not found by the automake testsuite

[Stefano Lattarini]

On Thursday 20 October 2011, Peter Rosin wrote:
> Hi!
>
Hi Peter, thanks for the report.

> When I do a simple ./configure, make, make check, Automake will
> not run tests related to Libtool, because there is no Libtool
> installed in the prefix this Automake is destined for (i.e.
> /usr/local/).
>
> Is it really expected that users should have to install Libtool
> in the prefix before the Automake testsuite will run the Libtool
> tests?
>
> From looking at the code, I suspect gettext is also suffering.
>
And it gets worse: as another unwanted side effect, "make distcheck"
won't run the libtool and gettext tests, ever.  Not pretty.

> I do understand that there is a desire to keep undesired macros
> out of the way, but the price seems a bit high...
>
I agree, and improving the situation is on my TODO list for the
testsuite-work branch.

Here is the planned roadmap:

  1. Add a new `libtool-macros' requirement, for tests that don't need
     libool/libtoolize, but only the libtool-provided autoconf macros. 
     Adjust `$required' of the involved tests accordingly.

  2. Make the `libtool-macros' and `gettext' requirements not trigger
     any search for `libtool.m4' and `gettext.m4' files, but rather
     rely on the ACLOCAL_PATH variable (this introduces possibility of
     spurious failures, that we'll fix in a later step).

  3. Look for the libtool/gettext macros at configure time.  The default
     location will still be the the prefix this Automake is destined for;
     but then we should also:
       - take a look at /usr/local and /usr uncondionally (useful e.g.
         if someone is installing automake in his home directory, which
         is hardly a good reason to skip the libtool and gettext tests);
       - honour the recently-introduced ACLOCAL_PATH (and continue to
         honour the `dirlist' file in acdir, if any);
       - offer configure option(s) to override the automatic checks (the
         user is always right!).
    These points might be implemented in seprate steps, of course.

  4. In tests requiring `libtool-macros' and `gettext', extend the
     ACLOCAL_PATH variable appropriately.  This should fix any regreession
     introduced by the step (2).

This is the "tentative" roadmap.  As usual, suggestions are weclome -- as
well as patches ;-)

Regards,
  Stefano