Re: AC_PREREQ comes first in autoscan

[Eric Blake]

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According to Ralf Wildenhues on 9/1/2009 11:38 AM:
> Hello,
> 
> * NightStrike wrote on Tue, Sep 01, 2009 at 06:19:07PM CEST:
>> "This macro is the only macro that may be used before AC_INIT,
> 
> This isn't even true.  AC_DEFUN and m4_define, as well as other m4sugar
> elements, are widely used before AC_INIT (when you consider that
> autoconf parses aclocal.m4 before it starts reading configure.ac).
> AU_DEFUN and AU_ALIAS should probably be sanctioned as well.
> 
> How about simply
>   This macro may be used before AC_INIT.
> 
> ?  I think elsewhere we state that AC_INIT needs to be the first macro
> that produces text in the configure script (which is a better
> description of what the text you quoted really wanted to say).

Yes, indeed.  Pushing this (NightStrike, let me know if you'd rather have
a real name instead of a pseudonym in THANKS):

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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>From 0eadc08360f9dd56692186fb5d4233e091388c2d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Eric Blake <address@hidden>
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 06:18:52 -0600
Subject: [PATCH] Improve wording about what goes before AC_INIT.

* doc/autoconf.texi (Initializing configure): Update wording.
(Versioning) <AC_PREREQ>: Remove misleading text, to match
autoupdate's behavior.
* THANKS: Update.
Reported by NightStrike, with input from Ralf Wildenhues.

Signed-off-by: Eric Blake <address@hidden>
---
 ChangeLog         |    9 +++++++++
 doc/autoconf.texi |   10 ++++++----
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 1ff51b4..c5be126 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2009-09-04  Eric Blake  <address@hidden>
+
+       Improve wording about what goes before AC_INIT.
+       * doc/autoconf.texi (Initializing configure): Update wording.
+       (Versioning) <AC_PREREQ>: Remove misleading text, to match
+       autoupdate's behavior.
+       * THANKS: Update.
+       Reported by NightStrike, with input from Ralf Wildenhues.
+
 2009-09-04  Thomas Jahns  <address@hidden>  (tiny change)

        Fix illegal tab character in Fortran source.
diff --git a/doc/autoconf.texi b/doc/autoconf.texi
index e997962..1d1abfb 100644
--- a/doc/autoconf.texi
+++ b/doc/autoconf.texi
@@ -1754,8 +1754,11 @@ Initializing configure
 @section Initializing @command{configure}

 Every @command{configure} script must call @code{AC_INIT} before doing
-anything else.  The only other required macro is @code{AC_OUTPUT}
-(@pxref{Output}).
+anything else that produces output.  Calls to silent macros, such as
address@hidden, may also occur prior to @code{AC_INIT}, although these
+are generally used via @file{aclocal.m4}, since that is implicitly
+included before the start of @file{configure.ac}.  The only other
+required macro is @code{AC_OUTPUT} (@pxref{Output}).

 @anchor{AC_INIT}
 @defmac AC_INIT (@var{package}, @var{version}, @ovar{bug-report}, @
@@ -1854,8 +1857,7 @@ Versioning
 AC_PREREQ(address@hidden)
 @end example

-This macro is the only macro that may be used before @code{AC_INIT}, but
-for consistency, you are invited not to do so.
+This macro may be used before @code{AC_INIT}.
 @end defmac

 @defmac AC_AUTOCONF_VERSION
-- 
1.6.3.3.334.g916e1