Re: AC_CONFIG_LINKS([sub/file:file]) with abs srcdir creates a bad link

[Peter Breitenlohner]

On Tue, 22 Dec 2009, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:

> Thanks.  I've reworked your test case into a couple of testsuite
> additions.  Below is what I have now.  Unless I hear complaints,
> I will commit it soonish.

Hi Ralf,

great. I really have to learn that Autotest stuff.

> > Finally, the manual states that AC_CONFIG_LINKS creates (sym)links from the
> > source tree to the build tree.  ...

Writing this, I had misinterpreted the description of AC_CONFIG_LINKS in
section 4.11 of the manual to say that SOURCE must be in the source tree. 
My mistake.

> > ....  That sentence might need to be revised.
>
> Do you mean a change like in the patch below?

Not quite. IMHO the addition makes it even less clear. I'd like to say
something like:

@noindent
creates in the current directory @file{host.h} and @file{object.h} as links
to @file{config/$machine.h} and @file{config/$obj_format.h} if such files
exist, or @address@hidden/config/$machine.h} and
@address@hidden/config/$obj_format.h} otherwise.  The file
@file{config/$machine.h} must exist when @var{srcdir} is @samp{.} or could
previously have been created in the build tree, e.g., through
@code{AC_CONFIG_FILES}.

Can you think of a more concise wording expressing the same facts?

============================

A somewhat related issue: the description of AC_OUTPUT in section 4.5 states
that "`config.status' performs all the configuration actions" including
subdirectories to configure.  There are three points where this description
could be corrected/improved.

(1) It might be useful to state explicitly that config.status (as invoked by
configure) does this in the indicated order: first files, then headers, and
finally links.

(2) config.status does not descend into subdirectories, this is done at the
end of configure.

(3) any code afterwards (after `AC_OUTPUT') "is executed by `configure' once
`config.status' was run", but before configuring any subdirectories.

We use this last fact in TeX Live cross compilations to configure a subdirectory
natively, i.e., for the build system.

============================

Regards
Peter Breitenlohner <address@hidden>