Hello, I'd like to make the proposal to invent dirlist.d/ directory support into aclocal. Currently the macro search path can be modified by a user by adding the repective path or a pattern that includes this path to the dirlist file contained in ACDIR. This is a very useful feature if you have some additional software installed on your system you want to be considered on the search. In such a case the system administrator can easily add this path to the dirlist file. Unfortunately this is a bit problematic for package vendors if they want to provide a package (.rpm, .deb, ...) that automatically adds a specific directory to this search path. Currently this package has to modify the dirlist file by a script or leave it up to the installer of the package to do this work manually. If now a dirlist.d/ directory would exist that can contain various scripts that are handled in the same way like the current dirlist file, the package could just provide a file ACDIR/dirlist.d/PACKAGENAME to extend the search path. The user could still make modifications to the dirlist file or create a private dirlist.d/* file without conflicting with any automatic setting of a package.
Currently SUSE does use such a feature but due to the lack of this support in
aclocal they do create a dirlist file from all diles in the dirlist.d/
directory by a script. This is quite an ugly solution in my opinion because
it silently overwrites all manual edits one does in the dirlist file. I am
not aware whether other vendors use similar features.
The following patch does provide the feature as described above and I would
like to see it in future automake releases. Comments, suggestions, questions,
or rants are always welcome.
Index: aclocal.in
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/automake/automake/aclocal.in,v
retrieving revision 1.139
diff -u -r1.139 aclocal.in
--- aclocal.in 4 Aug 2006 08:42:54 -0000 1.139
+++ aclocal.in 23 Aug 2006 16:00:40 -0000
@@ -1001,22 +1001,26 @@
}
else
{
- # Finally, adds any directory listed in the `dirlist' file.
- if (open (DIRLIST, "$system_includes[0]/dirlist"))
- {
- while (<DIRLIST>)
+ # Finally, adds any directory listed in the `dirlist' file
+ # and `dirlist.d' directories.
+ foreach my $dirlistfile (<$system_includes[0]/dirlist{,.d/*}>)
+ {
+ if (open (DIRLIST, $dirlistfile))
{
- # Ignore '#' lines.
- next if /^#/;
- # strip off newlines and end-of-line comments
- s/\s*\#.*$//;
- chomp;
- foreach my $dir (glob)
+ while (<DIRLIST>)
{
- push (@system_includes, $dir) if -d $dir;
+ # Ignore '#' lines.
+ next if /^#/;
+ # strip off newlines and end-of-line comments
+ s/\s*\#.*$//;
+ chomp;
+ foreach my $dir (glob)
+ {
+ push (@system_includes, $dir) if -d $dir;
+ }
}
+ close (DIRLIST);
}
- close (DIRLIST);
}
}
}
Index: doc/automake.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/automake/automake/doc/automake.texi,v
retrieving revision 1.149
diff -u -r1.149 automake.texi
--- doc/automake.texi 22 Aug 2006 10:04:52 -0000 1.149
+++ doc/automake.texi 23 Aug 2006 16:00:59 -0000
@@ -3206,6 +3206,14 @@
list @emph{after} all other directories. @file{dirlist} entries may
use shell wildcards such as @samp{*}, @samp{?}, or @code{[...]}.
+All files contained in a @file{dirlist.d} directory in @var{acdir} are
+handled in the same way. Putting pathes into various files within the
[EMAIL PROTECTED] directory instead of putting them directly into the
[EMAIL PROTECTED] file is especially useful for packagers that want to
+make their package to automatically customize the system
[EMAIL PROTECTED] when their package is installed without changing any
+user's config file.
+
For example, suppose
@[EMAIL PROTECTED]/dirlist} contains the following:
Robert
--
Robert Schiele Tel.: +49-621-181-2214
Dipl.-Wirtsch.informatiker mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur."
pgpXfI8Tjv355.pgp
Description: PGP signature
