diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | make-stds.texi | 63 |
1 files changed, 47 insertions, 16 deletions
diff --git a/make-stds.texi b/make-stds.texi index da8e05f..e7c9cf9 100644 --- a/make-stds.texi +++ b/make-stds.texi @@ -67,9 +67,10 @@ part of the make or @file{$(srcdir)/} if the file is an unchanging part of the source code. Without one of these prefixes, the current search path is used. -The distinction between @file{./} and @file{$(srcdir)/} is important -when using the @samp{--srcdir} option to @file{configure}. A rule of -the form: +The distinction between @file{./} (the @dfn{build directory}) and +@file{$(srcdir)/} (the @dfn{source directory}) is important because +users can build in a separate directory using the @samp{--srcdir} option +to @file{configure}. A rule of the form: @smallexample foo.1 : foo.man sedscript @@ -77,9 +78,8 @@ foo.1 : foo.man sedscript @end smallexample @noindent -will fail when the current directory is not the source directory, -because @file{foo.man} and @file{sedscript} are not in the current -directory. +will fail when the build directory is not the source directory, because +@file{foo.man} and @file{sedscript} are in the the source directory. When using GNU @code{make}, relying on @samp{VPATH} to find the source file will work in the case where there is a single dependency file, @@ -111,6 +111,18 @@ foo.1 : foo.man sedscript sed -e $(srcdir)/sedscript $(srcdir)/foo.man > $@@ @end smallexample +GNU distributions usually contain some files which are not source +files---for example, Info files, and the output from Autoconf, Automake, +Bison or Flex. Since these files normally appear in the source +directory, they should always appear in the source directory, not in the +build directory. So Makefile rules to update them should put the +updated files in the source directory. + +However, if a file does not appear in the distribution, then the +Makefile should not put it in the source directory, because building a +program in ordinary circumstances should not modify the source directory +in any way. + Try to make the build and installation targets, at least (and all their subtargets) work correctly with a parallel @code{make}. @@ -124,11 +136,17 @@ special features of @code{ksh} or @code{bash}. The @code{configure} script and the Makefile rules for building and installation should not use any utilities directly except these: +@c dd find +@c gunzip gzip md5sum +@c mkfifo mknod tee uname + @example -cat cmp cp echo egrep expr false grep -ln mkdir mv pwd rm rmdir sed test touch true +cat cmp cp diff echo egrep expr false grep install-info +ln ls mkdir mv pwd rm rmdir sed sleep sort tar test touch true @end example +The compression program @code{gzip} can be used in the @code{dist} rule. + Stick to the generally supported options for these programs. For example, don't use @samp{mkdir -p}, convenient as it may be, because most systems don't support it. @@ -142,26 +160,33 @@ user can substitute alternatives. Here are some of the programs we mean: @example -ar bison cc flex install ld lex +ar bison cc flex install ld ldconfig lex make makeinfo ranlib texi2dvi yacc @end example -Use the following @code{make} variables: +Use the following @code{make} variables to run those programs: @example -$(AR) $(BISON) $(CC) $(FLEX) $(INSTALL) $(LD) $(LEX) +$(AR) $(BISON) $(CC) $(FLEX) $(INSTALL) $(LD) $(LDCONFIG) $(LEX) $(MAKE) $(MAKEINFO) $(RANLIB) $(TEXI2DVI) $(YACC) @end example -When you use @code{ranlib}, you should make sure nothing bad happens if -the system does not have @code{ranlib}. Arrange to ignore an error -from that command, and print a message before the command to tell the -user that failure of the @code{ranlib} command does not mean a problem. -(The Autoconf @samp{AC_PROG_RANLIB} macro can help with this.) +When you use @code{ranlib} or @code{ldconfig}, you should make sure +nothing bad happens if the system does not have the program in question. +Arrange to ignore an error from that command, and print a message before +the command to tell the user that failure of this command does not mean +a problem. (The Autoconf @samp{AC_PROG_RANLIB} macro can help with +this.) If you use symbolic links, you should implement a fallback for systems that don't have symbolic links. +Additional utilities that can be used via Make variables are: + +@example +chgrp chmod chown mknod +@end example + It is ok to use other utilities in Makefile portions (or scripts) intended only for particular systems where you know those utilities exist. @@ -662,6 +687,12 @@ You must define the variable @code{MAKEINFO} in the Makefile. It should run the @code{makeinfo} program, which is part of the Texinfo distribution. +Normally a GNU distribution comes with Info files, and that means the +Info files are present in the source directory. Therefore, the Make +rule for an info file should update it in the source directory. When +users build the package, ordinarily Make will not update the Info files +because they will already be up to date. + @item dvi Generate DVI files for all Texinfo documentation. For example: |