Re: [patch 3/3] 306-gary-treat-argz-m4-like-ltdl-m4.diff

[Ralf Wildenhues]

Hi Gary,

* Gary V. Vaughan wrote on Tue, Nov 01, 2005 at 01:02:17PM CET:
> 
> Ralf, I know you have reservations about this one, but I don't really
> understand them.  Can you explain what it is you worry will go wrong
> if this is applied?

Surely.  libtoolize has just grown to include a lot of the functionality
that the execution of (1.9.6)
  aclocal
or (CVS Automake, with AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR and ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS given)
  aclocal --install

provides.  Now while I don't mind a bit of overlapping functionality,
I think it is quite suboptimal if `libtoolize --ltdl' disagrees with the
decisions done by aclocal.

aclocal knows that `gl_FUNC_ARGZ' is not instantiated (in this package!
not the `libltdl' subpackage!), and thus it sees no need to either (same
distinction as above)
  copy its contents into `aclocal.m4'
or
  install the file into the `AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR'.

If the macro dir in the second case is shared with the libltdl
subproject, in the second case libtoolize won't warn.  In the first, it
will warn in any case.  And only because `aclocal' is smarter than
libtoolize!

> Regardless of whether we apply this patch, I
> think it is important that we treat ltdl.m4 and argz.m4 the same, as
> they both apply in the same circumstances... ltdl.m4 requires argz.m4,
> and is useless without it; libtool.m4 doesn't use ltdl.m4 or argz.m4
> so it makes sense not to copy either of them if they are not used by
> the calling project (libtoolize is not called with --ltdl)...

Not all the world is libtoolize.  Judge for yourself whether a bogus
warning too much or the possibility of a missed warning are worse.
And that should answer your question:

> Okay to commit?

Cheers,
Ralf

> Index: libtool--devo--1.0/ChangeLog
> from  Gary V. Vaughan  <address@hidden>
>       * libtoolize.m4sh: Handle argz.m4 specially like ltdl.m4, so
>       that it isn't copied unless libltdl is being used.  Copy other
>       macro files according to their tagged serial numbers.
>       * tests/libtoolize.at: Adjust.