Re: Run automake to create config.sub without any Makefile.am

[Eric Blake]

On 01/09/2012 03:46 PM, Roger Pau Monné wrote:
> Hello!
> 
> I'm a new user of the GNU Autotools build system, and I need some help
> from more experienced Autoconf fellows. I'm trying to create an
> Autoconf script that generates a config.h and Config.mk to include to
> my sources and Makefiles respectively, but I'm having some trouble
> when trying to use Autoconf without using Automake.

That's a supported use of autoconf, but if you don't mind me asking,
what do you have against also using automake?

> AC_CANONICAL_HOST

As documented in
https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf.html#Canonicalizing,
if you use AC_CANONICAL_*, then _you_ are responsible for providing
config.sub in the AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR (default '.') directory.  You can
meet this requirement by using automake, or you can meet it by doing 'cp
/some/path/to/config.sub .' by hand.  [Hint - if you built autoconf from
source, then your autoconf source tree includes those files under the
build-aux/ subdirectory]

> Since I don't use any Automake macros, I thought that I dind't need
> Automake, and so I executed the following:
> 
> $ autoheader && autoconf

This should work, except that you have to provide the helper files
yourself, to avoid...

> 
> Everything runs fine, but when trying to execute configure script:
> checking whether it is safe to define __EXTENSIONS__... yes
> configure: error: cannot run /bin/bash ./config.sub

this.  You can do the copy before or after running 'autoconf' (that is,
autoconf currently doesn't check that config.sub exists; it might be a
nice enhancement to AC_CANONICAL_* to check for existence and/or even
install the files automatically, but someone would have to submit the
patch).

> 
> Now If I try to run Automake to create the missing files:
> 
> $ automake -a
> configure.ac: no proper invocation of AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE was found.

Correct - since you didn't use automake macros, you can't expect
automake to populate config.sub and friends on your behalf.

> It creates the needed files, but exits with status 1. Is there anyway
> to generate config.sub without relying on Automake,

Use 'cp'.  That's all the more automake was doing when it outputs lines
about installing helper files.

-- 
Eric Blake   address@hidden    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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