The $ACLOCAL_PATH env var is useful, but setting environment vars
is a bit clunky. Add an --aclocal-path option to override it like
we already have with --automake-acdir.
* bin/aclocal.in: Add --aclocal-path to override ACLOCAL_PATH.
* doc/automake.texi: Document --aclocal-path.
---
bin/aclocal.in | 12 +++++++++---
doc/automake.texi | 30 +++++++++++++++++++++---------
2 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
diff --git a/bin/aclocal.in b/bin/aclocal.in
index 77fbfd7e4acf..6f7086c6fb4c 100644
--- a/bin/aclocal.in
+++ b/bin/aclocal.in
@@ -64,9 +64,11 @@ $perl_threads = 0;
# @system_includes can be augmented with the 'dirlist' file or the
# ACLOCAL_PATH environment variable, and reset with the '--system-acdir'
# option.
+# @aclocal_path can be reset with the '--aclocal-path' option.
my @user_includes = ();
my @automake_includes = ('@datadir@/aclocal-' . $APIVERSION);
my @system_includes = ('@datadir@/aclocal');
+my @aclocal_path = ();
# Whether we should copy M4 file in $user_includes[0].
my $install = 0;
@@ -1031,6 +1033,7 @@ Generate 'aclocal.m4' by scanning 'configure.ac' or
'configure.in'
Options:
--automake-acdir=DIR directory holding automake-provided m4 files
+ --aclocal-path=DIR directory holding third-party local files
--system-acdir=DIR directory holding third-party system-wide files
--diff[=COMMAND] run COMMAND [diff -u] on M4 files that would be
changed (implies --install and --dry-run)
@@ -1061,6 +1064,7 @@ Current m4 search paths (in order):
-I dirs: @user_includes
--automake-acdir: @automake_includes
\$ACLOCAL_AUTOMAKE_DIR: $ENV{"ACLOCAL_AUTOMAKE_DIR"}
+ --aclocal_path: @aclocal_path
\$ACLOCAL_PATH: $ENV{"ACLOCAL_PATH"}
--system-acdir: @system_includes
EOF
@@ -1104,6 +1108,7 @@ sub parse_arguments ()
'version' => \&version,
'system-acdir=s' => sub { shift; @system_includes = @_; },
'automake-acdir=s' => sub { shift; @automake_includes = @_; },
+ 'aclocal-path=s' => sub { shift; @aclocal_path = @_; },
'diff:s' => \$diff_command,
'dry-run' => \$dry_run,
'force' => \$force_output,
@@ -1162,14 +1167,13 @@ sub parse_arguments ()
# to the list of system include directories.
sub parse_ACLOCAL_PATH ()
{
- return if not defined $ENV{"ACLOCAL_PATH"};
# Directories in ACLOCAL_PATH should take precedence over system
# directories, so we use unshift. However, directories that
# come first in ACLOCAL_PATH take precedence over directories
# coming later, which is why the result of split is reversed.
- foreach my $dir (reverse split /:/, $ENV{"ACLOCAL_PATH"})
+ foreach (@aclocal_path)
{
- unshift (@system_includes, $dir) if $dir ne '' && -d $dir;
+ unshift (@system_includes, $_) if $_ ne '' && -d $_;
}
}
@@ -1184,6 +1188,8 @@ if (exists $ENV{"AUTOMAKE_UNINSTALLED"})
@automake_includes = ($ENV{"ACLOCAL_AUTOMAKE_DIR"})
if (exists $ENV{"ACLOCAL_AUTOMAKE_DIR"});
+@aclocal_path = (reverse split /:/, $ENV{"ACLOCAL_PATH"})
+ if (exists $ENV{"ACLOCAL_PATH"});
parse_WARNINGS; # Parse the WARNINGS environment variable.
parse_arguments;
diff --git a/doc/automake.texi b/doc/automake.texi
index 9916a41d4b79..ab158c249529 100644
--- a/doc/automake.texi
+++ b/doc/automake.texi
@@ -3337,6 +3337,17 @@ The environment variable @env{ACLOCAL_AUTOMAKE_DIR}
provides another
way to set the directory containing automake-provided macro files.
However @option{--automake-acdir} takes precedence over it.
+@item --aclocal-path=@var{dir}
+@opindex --aclocal-path
+Look for local third-party macro files (and the special @file{dirlist}
+file) in @var{dir} instead of in the installation directory. This is
+typically used for building against local sysroots.
+
+@vindex ACLOCAL_PATH
+The environment variable @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} provides another way to
+set the directory containing local third-party macro files. However
+@option{--aclocal-path} takes precedence over it.
+
@item --system-acdir=@var{dir}
@opindex --system-acdir
Look for the system-wide third-party macro files (and the special
@@ -3579,37 +3590,38 @@ copy of Automake in your account and want
@command{aclocal} to look for
macros installed at other places on the system.
@anchor{ACLOCAL_PATH}
-@subsubheading Modifying the Macro Search Path: @file{ACLOCAL_PATH}
+@subsubheading Modifying the Macro Search Path: @option{--aclocal-path}
@cindex @env{ACLOCAL_PATH}
The fourth and last mechanism to customize the macro search path is
also the simplest. Any directory included in the colon-separated
-environment variable @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} is added to the search path
+@option{--aclocal-path} (@pxref{aclocal Options}) is added to the search
+path (defaulting to environment variable @env{ACLOCAL_PATH})
@c Keep in sync with aclocal-path-precedence.sh
and takes precedence over system directories (including those found via
@file{dirlist}), with the exception of the versioned directory
@var{acdir-APIVERSION} (@pxref{Macro Search Path}). However, directories
passed via @option{-I} will take precedence over directories in
-@env{ACLOCAL_PATH}.
+@option{--aclocal-path}.
-@c Keep in sync with aclocal-path-installed.sh
+@c Keep in sync with aclocal-path-install.sh
Also note that, if the @option{--install} option is used, any @file{.m4}
file containing a required macro that is found in a directory listed in
-@env{ACLOCAL_PATH} will be installed locally.
+@option{--aclocal-path} will be installed locally.
@c Keep in sync with aclocal-path-installed-serial.sh
In this case, serial numbers in @file{.m4} are honored too,
@pxref{Serials}.
-Conversely to @file{dirlist}, @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} is useful if you are
-using a global copy of Automake and want @command{aclocal} to look for
-macros somewhere under your home directory.
+Conversely to @file{dirlist}, @option{--aclocal-path} is useful if you
+are using a global copy of Automake and want @command{aclocal} to look
+for macros somewhere under your home directory.
@subsubheading Planned future incompatibilities
The order in which the directories in the macro search path are currently
looked up is confusing and/or suboptimal in various aspects, and is
probably going to be changed in the future Automake release. In
-particular, directories in @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} and @file{@var{acdir}}
+particular, directories in @option{--aclocal-path} and @file{@var{acdir}}
might end up taking precedence over @file{@var{acdir-APIVERSION}}, and
directories in @file{@var{acdir}/dirlist} might end up taking precedence
over @file{@var{acdir}}. @emph{This is a possible future incompatibility!}
--
2.34.1
