Re: Automake and Texinfo: clean the info or pdf file

[Stefano Lattarini]

On Friday 03 September 2010, YuGiOhJCJ Mailing wrote:
> On Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:05:11 -0400
> 
> >    What target can help me to remove the .info file built with
> >    the make command?
> >    Why the Makefile is removed when I call the distclean target?
Because it is generated by configure (well, technically by 
config.status, but this is a detail here).  Files generated
by configure are removed by "make distclean".  This includes,
among others, `config.status', `config.log', and `Makefile's
generated by corresponding `Makefile.in's templates.

> > maintainer-clean will remove it, but what are you trying to
> > achive? It is on purpose that the info files are distributed as
> > part of the source tree.
> 
> In fact, I was only astonished because :
> -Makefile is removed with 'make clean'
No, it's not; it is removed by "make distclean".
> because Makefile is a generated file

> -*.info files are not removed with 'make clean' but
> I can tell *.info files are generated files because to produce
> them, I use my *.texi files and the 'makeinfo' command
> 
> So why we choose to keep the *.info files if they are generated
> files?
Because they require a maintainer-only, unportable tool to be 
generated.  And since they do not depend on the architecture or 
configuration of the system were they will be installed, the best
policy is to distribute them in their already-processed form.

HTH,
  Stefano