Re: false positive result with 'make distcheck'

[Ralf Wildenhues]

* Harlan Stenn wrote on Wed, Sep 06, 2006 at 08:28:01AM CEST:
> > > > Two ways to get out of this:
> > > > - do not stick $(srcdir)/ in front of the prerequisites.  For example,
> > > >   this should work portably (if you take care not to stick $(srcdir)/
> > > >   elsewhere before the *.in files):
> > > > 
> > > > rpmbuildupdate: rpmbuildupdate.in
> > > >         perl -pi -e s'|address@hidden@|$(sysconfdir)|' \
> > > >           < $(srcdir)/rpmbuildupdate.in > $@
> > > > 
> > > > rpmbuildupdate.comp: rpmbuildupdate.comp.in
> > > >         perl -pi -e s'|address@hidden@|$(sysconfdir)|' \
> > > >           < $(srcdir)/rpmbuildupdate.comp.in > $@
> > > > 
> > > > (Note that even Solaris make would not VPATH-rewrite the rule, since the
> > > > string `rpmbuildupdate.in' is not surrounded by white space in the 
> > > > rule.)

> > What am I missing?
> 
> Probably nothing - I may have read what you wrote "differently" from
> what you intended.  I was concerned about your first case - if somebody
> goes to the trouble of putting a $(srcdir)/ on a target or a dependency,
> they need to be either "most everywhere" or nowhere.
> 
> This may not be true, but it is a rule I currently accept.

A don't disagree with that rule anywhere.  Your "rule" doesn't contradict
my "first case", because there, no "$(srcdir/)" is put on any target nor
prerequisite, so your "rule" does not apply.  "$(srcdir)/" is only added
to _all_ occurrences in the rule (i.e., the commands to execute).  And
for the quoted reason below that means it also works with Solaris make:

> > The above will
> > work with Solaris make: all instances of `rpmbuildupdate.in' in the
> > rule are _not_ surrounded by whitespace: there is a `/' right before
> > them.  So they are not rewritten in this case.

Cheers,
Ralf

PS: I've quoted your "rule" in order to distinguish it from the notion
of a makefile rule, written without quotes.