Re: Emit copyright notices in Autotest test suites

[Stepan Kasal]

Hi,

I have noticed another problem.  Sorry that I send two mail for one patch:

On Sun, Jan 09, 2005 at 07:15:47PM -0800, Noah Misch wrote:
> +++ ac-testcr/lib/autoconf/general.m4 2005-01-09 20:59:21.370643789 -0500
...
>  # AC_COPYRIGHT(TEXT, [VERSION-DIVERSION = VERSION_USER])
>  # ------------------------------------------------------
> -# Append Copyright information in the top of `configure'.  TEXT is
> -# evaluated once, hence TEXT can use macros.  Note that we do not
...
> +# Emit TEXT, a copyright notice, in the top of `configure' and in
> +# --version output.  Macros in TEXT are expanded once.

The term ``evaluated once'' has been changed to ``expanded once''.

I think this is unfortunate.  When I have

        m4_define([a], [b])
        m4_define([b], [[c]])
        m4_define([c], [[d]])

then I'd use the term ``expand once'' for the change  a --> b.

I understand the term ``evaluate once'' as the full expansion  a --> c.

Note: Evaluate twice would mean  a-->d; this is what you get if you call
a macro with an underquoted argument:
        a_macro(a)
which is equivalent to
        a_macro([c])

So I'd use the term ``evaluated once''.
I wasn't able to find any support for this in the m4 manual, though.

There are two more instances, similar to this one:

> +++ ac-testcr/lib/autotest/general.m4 2005-01-09 21:58:48.623814093 -0500
...
> +# AT_COPYRIGHT(TEXT)
> +# ------------------
> +# Emit TEXT, a copyright notice, in the top of the test suite and in
> +# --version output.  Macros in TEXT are expanded once.

> +++ ac-testcr/lib/m4sugar/m4sh.m4     2005-01-09 19:23:00.830209554 -0500
...
> +# AS_COPYRIGHT(TEXT)
> +# ------------------
> +# Emit TEXT, a copyright notice, as a shell comment near the top of the
> +# script.  TEXT is expanded once; to accomplish that, we do not prepend

Have a nice day,
        Stepan Kasal