On Sat, Jun 30, 2012 at 08:56 UTC, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> And here is the documentation, basically adapted from the commit message.
>
> Comments welcome.
>
> Regards,
> Stefano
>
> -*-*-*-
>
> diff --git a/doc/automake.texi b/doc/automake.texi
> index 87776b3..2bddc15 100644
> --- a/doc/automake.texi
> +++ b/doc/automake.texi
> @@ -4204,6 +4204,32 @@ will be built. It is customary to arrange test
> directories to be
> built after everything else since they are meant to test what has
> been constructed.
>
> +In addition to the built-in recursive targets defined by Automake
> +(@code{all}, @code{check}, etc.), the developer can also define his
> +own recursive targets. That is done by specifying the name of such
> +targets as arguments to the Automake-provided autoconf macro
> +@code{AM_EXTRA_RECURSIVE_TARGETS}. Automake will then generate
> +stub rules to automatically handle recursion for such targets; the
> +developer can define real actions for them defining a corresponding
> +@code{-local} target.
The last sentence is written a bit too much from the Automake
implementor's perspective rather than the Automake user. I struggled
to come up with something better, but may have failed.
Automake generates rules to handle the recursion for such targets; the
developer defines corresponding @code{-local} targets in Makefile.am
for each directory participating in satisfying the recursive target.
> +
> +@example
> +% @kbd{cat configure.ac}
> +AC_INIT([pkg-name], [1.0]
> +AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
> +AM_EXTRA_RECURSIVE_TARGETS([foo])
> +AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile sub/Makefile])
> +AC_OUTPUT
> +% @kbd{cat Makefile.am}
> +SUBDIRS = sub
> +foo-local:
> + @echo This will be run by "make foo".
> +% @kbd{cat sub/Makefile.am}
> +foo-local:
> + @echo This too will be run by a "make foo" issued either in
> + @echo the 'sub/' directory or in the top-level directory.
> +@end example
> +
> @node Conditional Subdirectories
> @section Conditional Subdirectories
> @cindex Subdirectories, building conditionally
The example looks good, and I want to thank you for introducing this
obvious way to factor out duplicative hand-rolled make subdir
recursion in projects that need it, particularly in light of
"Recursive Make Considered Harmful", which might have caused a lesser
man to believe this patch is counterproductive by catering to sadly
outdated troglodytes.
Cheers,
Dave Hart
