Re: PATCH for "make distcheck" failure

[Bruce Korb]

Alexandre Duret-Lutz wrote:

>  Bruce> SUBDIRS = @MAYBE_BAR@
>  Bruce> EXTRA_DIST = @NOT_MAYBE_BAR@
> 
> Odd.  I don't understand how you get duplicates this way.

It all has to do with configuring the Makefile incorporated
in the distributed subdirectory.  There is no way to do it
conditionally.  Leastwise, not that I can tell.  If there is,
then it is again because I have trouble remembering & searching
for what I want.  I tried to make it conditional once, and
the distribution wound up trying to configure a file named, ".in".
The implementing code decided that since I wanted to
configure "@LIBOPTS_MAKEFILE@", it would then run sed on
"@address@hidden".  Oops.  So, I configure it
unconditionally.  Besides, I have to distribute both
the bar/Makefile.am and bar/Makefile.in.

Should I try something like this:

> if [ -z "@LIBOPTS_MAKEFILE@" ]
> then
>   AC_OUTPUT(Makefile blocksort.lsm blocksort.spec)
> else
>   AC_OUTPUT(Makefile blocksort.lsm blocksort.spec
>             @LIBOPTS_MAKEFILE@)
> fi

The problem with doing stuff like that is that certain
"special" macros have side effects that take effect outside
the scope of the if/then/else clauses.  e.g., AC_SUBST().
But there are others.  Given the special effects of
AC_OUTPUT, I wasn't in the mood to try it.  It seems
very special to me.  Was I wrong?  Should I have read
the source?  Should I just use a "distcheck-hook" that
un-write protects the source hierarchy?  :-)  Why should
it be necessary to become a autoconf/automake expert
just to incorporate a sometimes compiled/sometimes not
but always distributed component in a project?

> So what's wrong with the last proposal of my previous mail
> (using a conditional)?  This seems to suit your requirements.

That proposal being:

   if BAR
     MAYBE_BAR = bar
   fi
   SUBDIRS = foo $(MAYBE_BAR)

The issues are:

1.  How do you distribute "bar" when BAR is not defined?
    "bar" must be listed in either DIST_SUBDIRS or SUBDIRS,
    always one of them, but not both.  I guess you add to that:

      if BAR
        SUBDIR_BAR = bar
        DIST_BAR =
      else
        SUBDIR_BAR =
        DIST_BAR = bar
      fi
      SUBDIRS = foo $(SUBDIR_BAR)
      EXTRA_DIST = $(DIST_BAR)

    This is essentially what I am doing now.

2.  bar/Makefile.in must get generated by automake.
    Can you tell it to do that without listing it in
    the AC_CONFIGURE()?

3.  If you list it there, then it will put stuff in the build
    directory that will conflict with stuff in the source dir.
    *THAT* will cause conflicts come "make distcheck" time.