Re: [bug-gnu-libiconv] configure using iconv.m4 on 64-bit systems failing

[Bruno Haible]

Hi,

Ben Taylor wrote:
> It appears that the iconv.m4 for autoconf is not really designed to handle
> more than one processor definition.  I have libiconv compiled on Solaris
> for both 32-bit and 64-bit libraries.  As an example, when I try to build
> gnupg, the configure script pulls the 32-bit version (actually the full path
> name instead of -liconv) which fails because I'm compiling in a 64-bit
> environment.  I'm far from an autoconf wiz, so was wondering if anyone
> could think about how I can get around this?

Autoconf-generated configure files can be used to build a package one ABI
at a time only. (Except for very simple special cases.) This means, when
you start out configuring a package, you need to know ahead for which ABI
(32-bit or 64-bit) you want to build, and pass the appropriate -I and -L
options in CPPFLAGS and LDFLAGS, respectively.

When you built libiconv for both ABIs, you hopefully did this with different
--prefix options (e.g. --prefix=/usr/local32 and --prefix=/usr/local64,
respectively), otherwise big confusion will happen, like the one you are seeing.

Then in a 64-bit build you pass --with-libiconv-prefix=/usr/local64.

For the use of CPPFLAGS and LDFLAGS, see the autoconf manual:
  
http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/html_node/Preset-Output-Variables.html

You can mix 32-bit and 64-bit binaries in PATH, but everywhere else, keep
them separate.

Bruno