On Sunday 20 March 2011, Peter Johansson wrote:
> Hello Stefano,
>
> On 3/19/11 8:36 AM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> >
> > Another viable approach would be to install the third-party macro file
> > in `$(third-party-prefix)/share/aclocal', and then extend the file
> > `$(aclocal-prefix)/share/aclocal/dirlist' to list that directory too; but
> > this would mean *modify* a possibly pre-existing file (and in a hard-coded
> > location too), and I'm not sure this is a wise move (but maybe might be
> > worth citing in the documentation anyway... Opinions?)
> >
> IMVHO that doesn't sound like an improvement. Say that I, e.g., install
> an old version of GSL with --prefix=/usr/local/gsl-1.6. That doesn't
> mean I want aclocal to look for m4 files in
> `/usr/local/gsl-1.6/share/aclocal'. And what happens with all the times
> I install my own package within distcheck, would that prefix
> (`pwd`/_inst) also be added in `dirlist'?
>
> > Finally, note that this problem should be ameliorated once the pending
> > patches introducing support for the ACLOCAL_PATH environment variable
> > are merged:
> > <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2010-11/msg00089.html>
> > At that point, a thid-party package providing macro files can install them
> > into `$(third-party-prefix)/share/aclocal', and then tell the user to
> > extend the system-wide definition of ACLOCAL_PATH accordingly (somewhat
> > similarly to what libtool install rules does with `LD_LIBRARY_PATH').
>
> Sounds good.
>
> Thanks,
> Peter
>
OK, now we have ACLOCAL_PATH support implemented into maint, so it's time to
fix this bug. I'll push the attached patch to maint in a couple of days if
there is no objection.
Regards,
Stefano
From b100d18da312f4b22be283b9a877b221667b2245 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
Message-Id: <b100d18da312f4b22be283b9a877b221667b2245.1317206773.git.stefano.lattar...@gmail.com>
From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattar...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:29:19 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] docs: don't suggest installing `.m4' files in hard-coded location
This change fixes automake bug#7988.
* doc/automake.texi (aclocal Options): State that the use of
the `--print-ac-dir' option to determine the directory where
third-party packages can install their `.m4' files is discouraged
now.
(Extending aclocal): Suggest telling the user about ACLOCAL_PATH.
* THANKS: Update.
Report by Peter Johansson.
---
ChangeLog | 12 ++++++++++++
THANKS | 1 +
doc/automake.texi | 17 +++++++++++++----
3 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 47aee92..12cdb6e 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+2011-09-28 Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattar...@gmail.com>
+
+ docs: don't suggest installing `.m4' files in hard-coded location
+ This change fixes automake bug#7988.
+ * doc/automake.texi (aclocal Options): State that the use of
+ the `--print-ac-dir' option to determine the directory where
+ third-party packages can install their `.m4' files is discouraged
+ now.
+ (Extending aclocal): Suggest telling the user about ACLOCAL_PATH.
+ * THANKS: Update.
+ Report by Peter Johansson.
+
2011-09-22 Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattar...@gmail.com>
tests: fix tests on aclocal search path precedences
diff --git a/THANKS b/THANKS
index f83e1fc..3c106c7 100644
--- a/THANKS
+++ b/THANKS
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ Per Oyvind Hvidsten p...@enter.vg
Peter Breitenlohner p...@mppmu.mpg.de
Peter Eisentraut pete...@gmx.net
Peter Gavin pga...@debaser.kicks-ass.org
+Peter Johansson troj...@gmail.com
Peter Mattis p...@scam.xcf.berkeley.edu
Peter Muir i...@yahoo.com
Peter O'Gorman pe...@pogma.com
diff --git a/doc/automake.texi b/doc/automake.texi
index a8233dd..c463fe7 100644
--- a/doc/automake.texi
+++ b/doc/automake.texi
@@ -3254,8 +3254,12 @@ Cause the output to be put into @var{file} instead of @file{aclocal.m4}.
@opindex --print-ac-dir
Prints the name of the directory that @command{aclocal} will search to
find third-party @file{.m4} files. When this option is given, normal
-processing is suppressed. This option can be used by a package to
-determine where to install a macro file.
+processing is suppressed. This option was used @emph{in the past} by
+third-party packages to determine where to install @file{.m4} macro
+files, but @emph{this usage is today discouraged}, since it causes
+@samp{$(prefix)} not to be thoroughly honoured (which violates the
+GNU Coding Standards), and a similar semantics can be better obtained
+with the @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} environment variable; @pxref{Extending aclocal}.
@item --verbose
@opindex --verbose
@@ -3430,6 +3434,7 @@ Similarly, @file{dirlist} can be handy if you have installed a local
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}
@cindex @env{ACLOCAL_PATH}
@@ -3491,8 +3496,12 @@ aclocal_DATA = mymacro.m4 myothermacro.m4
@noindent
Please do use @file{$(datadir)/aclocal}, and not something based on
-the result of @samp{aclocal --print-ac-dir}. @xref{Hard-Coded Install
-Paths}, for arguments.
+the result of @samp{aclocal --print-ac-dir} (@pxref{Hard-Coded Install
+Paths}, for arguments). It might also be helpful to suggest to
+the user to add the @file{$(datadir)/aclocal} directory to his
+@env{ACLOCAL_PATH} variable (@pxref{ACLOCAL_PATH}) so that
+@command{aclocal} will find the @file{.m4} files installed by your
+package automatically.
A file of macros should be a series of properly quoted
@code{AC_DEFUN}'s (@pxref{Macro Definitions, , , autoconf, The
--
1.7.2.3
