Re: comments in make variable definition

[Pippijn van Steenhoven]

On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 06:17:47PM +0100, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> On Tuesday 21 December 2010, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 01:55:39PM CET:
> > > On Sunday 19 December 2010, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > > > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 12:19:40PM CET:
> > > > >   xmandir = $(mandir) # we want info files installed in $(mandir) 
> > > > > because ...
> > > > >   xman_TEXINFOS = foo.texi
> > > >
> > > > (And the inline comment is of course not ok ;-)
> > >
> > > (Maybe it's time to deprecate them too in the manual ...)
> > 
> > I don't see how they were ever not problematic.  Well, at least given
> > the autoconf.texi general warnings about comments in makefiles.
> > 
> Ah, but AFAIK, make comments are problematic only in makefile *rules*,
> not in variable definitions:
>   VAR = foo bar # a probably portable comment
>   tgt:; touch $@ # a bad unportable commen
> 
> Try also to search:
>   ^[^\t#].*=.*\s# file:^Makefile\.am$
> with google code search (not many entries, luckily, but still).
> 
> Regards,
>    Stefano

Actually it is not always ok. FreeBSD's make chokes on it in some
instances:
  VAR = foo # this comment is ok
  VAR = foo \
    # this is also ok
  VAR = foo \
    # this is ok \
    # <- Unassociated shell command

Also, it will break $(am__append*) variables, but that is not relevant in
this case.

-- 
Pippijn van Steenhoven

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