Re: [PATCH] {master} tests: fix spurious failures due to missing 'yywrap()' function

[Jim Meyering]

Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> Hi Jim, sorry for the delay.

No problem, of course.

> On Thursday 20 October 2011, Jim Meyering wrote:
...
>> Here you go, this is with the very latest autoconf early in my path,
>> but that seems not to matter. These are all due to lack of yylex.
>
> Of yywrap, actually :-)
>
> Could you try the attached patch to see if it fixes the spurious
> failures?

Sure.
With that, "make check" on master now passes on Fedora 16.

> From 16cb4465bf836b25d61be4ae7cf21dab6f928186 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
> Message-Id: <address@hidden>
> From: Stefano Lattarini <address@hidden>
> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:18:34 +0200
> Subject: [PATCH] tests: fix spurious failures due to missing 'yywrap()' 
> function
>
> The AC_PROG_LEX Autoconf macro does not diagnose a failure to find
> the "lex library" expected to provide a `yywrap' function (function
> which is required to link most lex-generated programs).  On the
> contrary, when all the link attempts (i.e., with `-ll' and `-lfl')
> fail, configure declares that no lex library is needed, and simply
> proceeds with the configuration process -- only for the build to
> possibly fail later, at make time.
>
> This behaviour is intended; the Autoconf manual reads:
>  ``You are encouraged to use Flex in your sources, since it is
>    both more pleasant to use than plain Lex and the C source it
>    produces is portable.  In order to ensure portability, however,
>    you must either provide a function `yywrap' or, if you don't use
>    it (e.g., your scanner has no `#include'-like feature), simply
>    include a `%noyywrap' statement in the scanner's source.''
>
> This AC_PROG_LEX behaviour is causing some spurious failures of the
> Automake testsuite in environments which lack a proper library
> providing `yywrap' (this happens for example on 64 bits Red Hat
> Linux).

It is independent of architecture and Fedora/RHEL, so you might want
to say this instead:

  providing `yywrap' (this happens for example on Fedora-based systems).

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