Re: --add-missing

[Derek R. Price]

Alexandre Oliva wrote:

> On Nov 13, 2000, "Derek R. Price" <address@hidden> wrote:
>
> > Okay, is there some way short of symlinking the
> > /usr/share/automake/texinfo.tex file by hand to make sure that automake
> > --add-missing uses the "proper" texinfo.tex file (i.e. the one installed
> > with the texinfo package and assumedly the most recent one)?
>
> I'm afraid not.  Any suggestions about how automake could find out
> where texinfo.tex from the texinfo package is installed, assuming it
> is?

Well, after sifting the documentation for my distribution for several hours,
I have discovered the "texmf.cnf" file.  It appears to define all sorts of
possible search paths dependant on the format of your input and output files.

What I have deduced from this and the existance of two texinfo.tex files (one
for tex and one for pdftex) is that I am going to leave well-enough alone and
rely on the no-texinfo.tex option passed to automake and my TeX
distribution's apparent ability to dynamically determine which texinfo.tex is
the proper one dependant on input and output formats.

Especially considering that CVS has been around for quite a few years, its
distributions never contained the texinfo.tex file, and this hasn't produced
any complaints that I am aware of, this seems a prudent course of action.

If you still feel the need, parsing the texmf.cnf file or using a list of
default paths might work to find a current texinfo.tex for inclusion with a
distribution, but it appears that any texinfo.tex found wouldn't work in all
cases and more work would have to be done (perhaps as simple as using the -P
option to makeinfo to select pdftex/texinfo/texinfo.tex for pdf targets,
tex/texinfo/texinfo.tex for other targets, or use the texinfo.tex included
with a distribution if neither could be found by configure).  I'd probably
look into the various TeX distributions first and see if it is really still
uncommon for texinfo.tex to be included to verify that the return on this
work was high enough to justify the time.

Derek

--
Derek Price                      CVS Solutions Architect ( http://CVSHome.org )
mailto:address@hidden     OpenAvenue ( http://OpenAvenue.com )
--
HAMLET                  No, not I.
  I never gave you aught.
OPHELIA
  My honoured lord, you know right well you did,
  And with them words of so sweet breath composed
  As made the things more rich.  Their perfume lost,
  Take these again.  For to the noble mind
  Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
  There, my lord.

     - Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1, Lines 96-102