Re: configuring libltdl

[Gary V. Vaughan]

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Bob Friesenhahn wrote:
| On Mon, 24 Nov 2003, Gary V. Vaughan wrote:
|
| There are a number of issues that would have to be handled in order to
| properly integrate libltdl configure/build into the dependent
| package's configure/build.  Historically, the libltdl directory has
| been a fully-populated stand-alone directory.

Actually, I already broke that by adding ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I ../m4
to libltdl/Makefile.am. :-(

|  All the dependent
| package needs to do is include libltdl in SUBDIRS and then use the
| library.  Of cource, this approach may double the size of small
| packages, and double the time spent running configure.

Indeed.  That's why I manually copy libltdl/ltdl.[ch] into the source
directory in CVS m4 rather than using a subdir.

| Currently libltdl includes config.h like this:
|
| #if HAVE_CONFIG_H
| #  include <config.h>
| #endif
|
| In order to use some configuration header name, or path, other than
| <config.h>, the user needs to manually edit ltdl.c.  That is what I
| have had to do with my packages.
|
| It would be much better if there was a way to specify the package
| configuration file name for ltdl.c to use.  For example
|
| #if defined(LIBLTDL_CONFIG_H)
| #  include LIBLTDL_CONFIG_H
| #else
| #if HAVE_CONFIG_H
| #  include <config.h>
| #endif
| #endif
|
| Some means would need to be found for AC_LIB_LTDL to export the
| package's configuration header name the same way that HAVE_CONFIG_H is
| currently defined.  The definition would need to appear on the
| compiler command line.

I don't like this.  If libltdl is sharing a configure script, it should also
share config.h.  Why did you want to generate two config.h's?

| I am not sure what do to regarding the legacy expectation that the
| files in the libltdl subdirectory are prepared like a full-fledged
| stand-alone application.

We fixup libtoolize --force to upgrade to the new improved integrated
configuration :-)

| The only files that would need to appear in the libltdl subdirectory
| are COPYING.LIB, ltdl.h, ltdl.c, Makefile.am, and Makefile.in.  There
| is an issue with using Makefile.am since the user doesn't currently
| need to use Automake in order to configure and use libltdl.

Good point. As long as we ship Makefile.in (and libtoolize --ltdl installs
only Makefile.in if $configure_ac has no reference to AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE) that
should satisfy the autoconf/libtool only audience...

Cheers,
        Gary.
- --
Gary V. Vaughan      ())_.  address@hidden,gnu.org}
Research Scientist   ( '/   http://www.oranda.demon.co.uk
GNU Hacker           / )=   http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool
Technical Author   `(_~)_   http://sources.redhat.com/autobook
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