Re: [PATCH] "make dist" did not depend on $(BUILT_SOURCES)

[Jim Meyering]

On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 12:45 PM, Nick Bowler <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hi Jim,
>
> On 2017-11-28 11:21 -0800, Jim Meyering wrote:
>> Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 12:31:32 -0700
>> Subject: [PATCH] "make dist" did not depend on $(BUILT_SOURCES)
>>
>> * lib/am/distdir.am (distdir-am): New intermediate target.
>> Interpose this target between $(distdir) and its dependency
>> on $(DISTFILES), so that we can ensure $(BUILT_SOURCES) are
>> all created before we begin creating $(DISTFILES).
> [...]
>>  NEWS                       |  3 +++
>>  lib/am/distdir.am          |  7 ++++--
>>  t/dist-vs-built-sources.sh | 56 
>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>  t/list-of-tests.mk         |  1 +
>>  4 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>>  create mode 100644 t/dist-vs-built-sources.sh
>
> The Automake manual unequivocally states that BUILT_SOURCES files are
> generated only when running 'make all', 'make check' or 'make install'.
>
> So if they are going to be generated on 'make dist' as well, then the
> manual needs a corresponding update.

Hi Nick,
Thanks for the suggestion, but I do not think it is desired. "make
dist" is already defined as building everything that goes into the
distribution tarball, and that implies it must also build anything
(e.g., from BUILT_SOURCES) that happens to be required to do that.
Perhaps more importantly, this is an implementation detail that feels
like it should not be made part of the contract that the documentation
provides, in case some day automake tightens up "make dist" so it
builds only those BUILT_SOURCES files that are actually required to
build the tarball components.