@author David MacKenzie
@author Tom Tromey
@author Alexandre Duret-Lutz
+@author Ralf Wildenhues
+@author Stefano Lattarini
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
Simple Tests
* Scripts-based Testsuites:: Automake-specific concepts and terminology
-* Serial Test Harness:: Older (and obsolescent) serial test harness
+* Serial Test Harness:: Older (and discouraged) serial test harness
* Parallel Test Harness:: Generic concurrent test harness
Using the TAP test protocol
@opindex no-define
By default this macro @code{AC_DEFINE}'s @code{PACKAGE} and
@code{VERSION}. This can be avoided by passing the @option{no-define}
-option:
+option (@pxref{List of Automake options}):
@example
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([gnits 1.5 no-define dist-bzip2])
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([no-define ...])
@end example
@item AM_PATH_LISPDIR
@item AM_PROG_CC_C_O
@acindex AM_PROG_CC_C_O
-@acindex AC_PROG_CC_C_O
-This is an @emph{obsolete wrapper} around @code{AC_PROG_CC_C_O}.
-New code needs not use this macro. It might be deprecated and
-@emph{retired in future Automake versions}.
+This is an obsolescent macro that checks that the C compiler supports
+the @option{-c} and @option{-o} options together. Note that, since
+Automake 1.14, the @code{AC_PROG_CC} is rewritten to implement such
+checks itself, and thus the explicit use of @code{AM_PROG_CC_C_O}
+should no longer be required.
@item AM_PROG_LEX
@acindex AM_PROG_LEX
@table @code
-@item AM_PROG_CC_C_O
-@acindex AM_PROG_CC_C_O
-@acindex AC_PROG_CC_C_O
-This is an @emph{obsolete wrapper} around @code{AC_PROG_CC_C_O}. New
-code needs not to use this macro. It will be deprecated, and then
-removed, in future Automake versions.
-
@item AM_PROG_MKDIR_P
@acindex AM_PROG_MKDIR_P
@cindex @code{mkdir -p}, macro check
using the @code{AM_PROG_MKDIR_P} macro in your @file{configure.ac},
or its provided variable @code{$(mkdir_p)} in your @file{Makefile.am},
you are advised to switch ASAP to the more modern Autoconf-provided
-interface instead; both the macro and the variable @emph{will be
-removed} in the next major Automake release.
+interface instead; both the macro and the variable might be removed
+in a future major Automake release.
@end table
Automake provides some minimal support for Java bytecode compilation with
the @code{JAVA} primary (in addition to the support for compiling Java to
native machine code; @pxref{Java Support with gcj}). Note however that
-@emph{the interface and most features described here are deprecated}; the
-next automake release will strive to provide a better and cleaner
+@emph{the interface and most features described here are deprecated}.
+Future Automake releases will strive to provide a better and cleaner
interface, which however @emph{won't be backward-compatible}; the present
-interface will probably be removed altogether in future automake releases
-(1.13 or later), so don't use it in new code.
+interface will probably be removed altogether some time after the
+introduction of the new interface (if that ever materializes).
Any @file{.java} files listed in a @code{_JAVA} variable will be
compiled with @code{JAVAC} at build time. By default, @file{.java}
If the current directory contains Texinfo source, you must declare it
with the @code{TEXINFOS} primary. Generally Texinfo files are converted
into info, and thus the @code{info_TEXINFOS} variable is most commonly used
-here. Any Texinfo source file must end in the @file{.texi},
-@file{.txi}, or @file{.texinfo} extension. We recommend @file{.texi}
-for new manuals.
+here. Any Texinfo source file should have the @file{.texi} extension.
+Automake also accepts @file{.txi} or @file{.texinfo} extensions, but their
+use is discouraged now, and will elicit runtime warnings.
Automake generates rules to build @file{.info}, @file{.dvi},
@file{.ps}, @file{.pdf} and @file{.html} files from your Texinfo
@file{Makefile.am}. The user can still extend or override the flags
provided there by defining the @code{DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS} variable,
on the command line when invoking @command{make}.
-
-Still, developers are encouraged to strive to make their code buildable
-without requiring any special configure option; thus, in general, you
-shouldn't define @code{AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS}. However, there
-might be few scenarios in which the use of this variable is justified.
+@c See automake bug#14991 for more details about how the following holds.
+It's worth nothing that @command{make distcheck} needs complete control
+over the @command{configure} options @option{--srcdir} and
+@option{--prefix}, so those options cannot be overridden by
+@code{AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS} nor by
+@code{DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS}.
+
+Also note that developers are encouraged to strive to make their code
+buildable without requiring any special configure option; thus, in
+general, you shouldn't define @code{AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS}.
+However, there might be few scenarios in which the use of this variable
+is justified.
GNU @command{m4} offers an example. GNU @command{m4} configures by
default with its experimental and seldom used "changeword" feature
disabled; so in its case it is useful to have @command{make distcheck}
distributions in various formats. Their targets are:
@table @asis
+@item @code{dist-gzip}
+Generate a @samp{gzip} tar archive of the distribution. This is the
+only format enabled by default.
+@trindex dist-gzip
+
@vindex BZIP2
@item @code{dist-bzip2}
-Generate a bzip2 tar archive of the distribution. bzip2 archives are
-frequently smaller than gzipped archives.
+Generate a @samp{bzip2} tar archive of the distribution. bzip2 archives
+are frequently smaller than gzipped archives.
By default, this rule makes @samp{bzip2} use a compression option of @option{-9}.
To make it use a different one, set the @env{BZIP2} environment variable.
For example, @samp{make dist-bzip2 BZIP2=-7}.
@trindex dist-bzip2
-@item @code{dist-gzip}
-Generate a gzip tar archive of the distribution.
-@trindex dist-gzip
-
@item @code{dist-lzip}
Generate an @samp{lzip} tar archive of the distribution. @command{lzip}
archives are frequently smaller than @command{bzip2}-compressed archives.
@trindex dist-lzip
-@item @code{dist-shar}
-Generate a shar archive of the distribution.
-@trindex dist-shar
-
@vindex XZ_OPT
@item @code{dist-xz}
Generate an @samp{xz} tar archive of the distribution. @command{xz}
@trindex dist-xz
@item @code{dist-zip}
-Generate a zip archive of the distribution.
+Generate a @samp{zip} archive of the distribution.
@trindex dist-zip
@item @code{dist-tarZ}
-Generate a compressed tar archive of
-the distribution.
+Generate a tar archive of the distribution, compressed with the
+historical (and obsolescent) program @command{compress}. This
+option is deprecated, and it and the corresponding functionality
+will be removed altogether in Automake 2.0.
@trindex dist-tarZ
+
+@item @code{dist-shar}
+Generate a @samp{shar} archive of the distribution. This format
+archive is obsolescent, and use of this option is deprecated.
+It and the corresponding functionality will be removed altogether
+in Automake 2.0.
+@trindex dist-shar
+
@end table
-The rule @code{dist} (and its historical synonym @code{dist-all}) will
-create archives in all the enabled formats, @ref{Options}. By
-default, only the @code{dist-gzip} target is hooked to @code{dist}.
+The rule @code{dist} (and its historical synonym @code{dist-all})
+will create archives in all the enabled formats (@pxref{List of
+Automake options} for how to change this list). By default, only
+the @code{dist-gzip} target is hooked to @code{dist}.
@node Tests
@menu
* Scripts-based Testsuites:: Automake-specific concepts and terminology
-* Serial Test Harness:: Older (and obsolescent) serial test harness
+* Serial Test Harness:: Older (and discouraged) serial test harness
* Parallel Test Harness:: Generic concurrent test harness
@end menu
@code{TESTS = $(check_PROGRAMS)} if all your programs are test cases.
@node Serial Test Harness
-@subsection Older (and obsolescent) serial test harness
+@subsection Older (and discouraged) serial test harness
@cindex @option{serial-tests}, Using
-@emph{This harness is obsolescent}, and kept for backward-compatibility
-reasons only. The user is strongly advised to just use the parallel test
-harness instead (@pxref{Parallel Test Harness}).
+First, note that today the use of this harness is strongly discouraged in
+favour of the parallel test harness (@pxref{Parallel Test Harness}).
+Still, there are @emph{few} situations when the advantages offered by
+the parallel harness are irrelevant, and when test concurrency can
+even cause tricky problems. In those cases, it might make sense to
+still use the serial harness, for simplicity and reliability (we still
+suggest trying to give the parallel harness a shot though).
The serial test harness is enabled by the Automake option
@option{serial-tests}. It operates by simply running the tests serially,
of inter-test dependencies, lazy reruns of tests that have not completed
in a prior run, and hard errors for exceptional failures.
-This harness is still somewhat experimental and may undergo changes in
-order to satisfy additional portability requirements.
-
@anchor{Basics of test metadata}
@vindex TEST_SUITE_LOG
@vindex TESTS
For example, @samp{.sh}, @samp{.T} and @samp{.t1} are valid extensions,
while @samp{.x-y}, @samp{.6c} and @samp{.t.1} are not.
+@cindex Configure substitutions in @code{TESTS}
+It is important to note that, due to current limitations (unlikely to be
+lifted), configure substitutions in the definition of @code{TESTS} can
+only work if they will expand to a list of tests that have a suffix listed
+in @code{TEST_EXTENSIONS}.
+
@vindex _LOG_COMPILE
@vindex _LOG_COMPILER
@vindex _LOG_FLAGS
Hook @code{dist-lzip} to @code{dist}.
@trindex dist-lzip
-@item @option{dist-shar}
-@cindex Option, @option{dist-shar}
-@opindex dist-shar
-Hook @code{dist-shar} to @code{dist}.
-@trindex dist-shar
+@item @option{dist-xz}
+@cindex Option, @option{dist-xz}
+@opindex dist-xz
+Hook @code{dist-xz} to @code{dist}.
+@trindex dist-xz
@item @option{dist-zip}
@cindex Option, @option{dist-zip}
Hook @code{dist-zip} to @code{dist}.
@trindex dist-zip
+@item @option{dist-shar}
+@cindex Option, @option{dist-shar}
+@opindex dist-shar
+Hook @code{dist-shar} to @code{dist}. Use of this option
+is deprecated, as the @samp{shar} format is obsolescent and
+problematic. Support for it will be removed altogether in
+Automake 2.0.
+@trindex dist-shar
+
@item @option{dist-tarZ}
@cindex Option, @option{dist-tarZ}
@opindex dist-tarZ
-Hook @code{dist-tarZ} to @code{dist}.
+Hook @code{dist-tarZ} to @code{dist}. Use of this option
+is deprecated, as the @samp{compress} program is obsolete.
+Support for it will be removed altogether in Automake 2.0.
@trindex dist-tarZ
@item @option{filename-length-max=99}
Makefile fragments included this way are always distributed because
they are needed to rebuild @file{Makefile.in}.
+Inside a fragment, the construct @code{%reldir%} is replaced with the
+directory of the fragment relative to the base @file{Makefile.am}.
+Similarly, @code{%canon_reldir%} is replaced with the canonicalized
+(@pxref{Canonicalization}) form of @code{%reldir%}. As a convenience,
+@code{%D%} is a synonym for @code{%reldir%}, and @code{%C%}
+is a synonym for @code{%canon_reldir%}.
+
+A special feature is that if the fragment is in the same directory as
+the base @file{Makefile.am} (i.e., @code{%reldir%} is @code{.}), then
+@code{%reldir%} and @code{%canon_reldir%} will expand to the empty
+string as well as eat, if present, a following slash or underscore
+respectively.
+
+Thus, a makefile fragment might look like this:
+
+@example
+bin_PROGRAMS += %reldir%/mumble
+%canon_reldir%_mumble_SOURCES = %reldir%/one.c
+@end example
+
@node Conditionals
@chapter Conditionals
sleep 1
# autoconf-generated configure depends on aclocal.m4 and on
# configure.ac
-configure config.h.in
+touch configure
# so does autoheader-generated config.h.in
-configure config.h.in
+touch config.h.in
# and all the automake-generated Makefile.in files
touch `find . -name Makefile.in -print`
# finally, the makeinfo-generated '.info' files depend on the
projects / platform / upstream / automake.git / blobdiff