Re: bug#7944: Should AM_PATH_PYTHON call AC_ARG_VAR?

[Stefano Lattarini]

Hi Ralf, and sorry for the delay.

On Friday 11 February 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> 
> There are a couple of things that I think could be better.  One sentence
> as a paragraph on its own isn't too pretty.  The PYTHON override doesn't
> seem to be the most important thing to me, so I'd put it last not first.
> This would be in line with how autoconf.texi documents many macros:
> cache and override variables are listed late.  Also, I'd document that
> the PYTHON variable is set by the macro.  Ahh, that is already done,
> further down in the text.  I think the mention of override could be
> placed there as well.
> 
> So, how about this instead?  Feel free to squash in and push if you
> agree.
>
Hmmm... is the diff you posted incomplete, or am I missing something?
I'll refrain from pushing the patch until this issue is clarified.

Also, an unrelated issue: I couldn't find a way to apply the diff you
posted automatically (with either 'git' or 'patch'), and I had to apply
it manually (yuck!).  I assume that I'm clearly missing something here.
So, to spare myself similar situations in the future, I'd like to ask:
how could I have applied the patch below automatically?

Thanks,
  Stefano

> --- a/doc/automake.texi
> +++ b/doc/automake.texi
> @@ -7631,7 +7631,8 @@ files in your @file{Makefile.am}, depending on where 
> you want your files
>  installed (see the definitions of @code{pythondir} and
>  @code{pkgpythondir} below).
>
> address@hidden AM_PATH_PYTHON (@ovar{version}, @ovar{action-if-found}, 
> @ovar{action-if-not-found})
> address@hidden AM_PATH_PYTHON (@ovar{version}, @ovar{action-if-found}, @
> +  @ovar{action-if-not-found})
>
>  Search for a Python interpreter on the system.  This macro takes three
>  optional arguments.  The first argument, if present, is the minimum
> @@ -7657,6 +7658,9 @@ If Python >= 2.5 was only @emph{optional} to the 
> package,
>  AM_PATH_PYTHON([2.5],, [:])
>  @end example
>
> +If the @env{PYTHON} variable is set when @code{AM_PATH_PYTHON} is
> +called, then that will be the only Python interpreter that is tried.
> +
>  @code{AM_PATH_PYTHON} creates the following output variables based on
>  the Python installation found during configuration.
>  @end defmac
> @@ -7672,8 +7676,8 @@ to setup a conditional in order to disable the relevant 
> part of a build
> as follows.
> 
>  @example
> -  AM_PATH_PYTHON(,, [:])
> -  AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PYTHON], [test "$PYTHON" != :])
> +AM_PATH_PYTHON(,, [:])
> +AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PYTHON], [test "$PYTHON" != :])
>  @end example
>
>  @item PYTHON_VERSION