Re: Infinite recursion with `check_SCRIPTS = check'

[Benoit SIGOURE]

On Oct 21, 2007, at 11:46 AM, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:

> Hello Benoit,
>
> * Benoit SIGOURE wrote on Sat, Oct 20, 2007 at 01:58:23PM CEST:
> > Hello list,
> > Due to a sudden lack of imagination, I wrote a testsuite named  
> > `check' and
> > used it as a `check_SCRIPTS' which led to an infinite recursion of  
> > make
> > (because the .PHONY check depends on check-am which does a `$(MAKE)
> > $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) $(check_SCRIPTS)' so the make has no chance of  
> > catching the
> > dependency cycle).
> >
> > Maybe automake should warn (or bail out) in such a case.  I can  
> > write a
> > patch for that, if you think that could be something relevant.
>
> Well, the user should be able to override the `check' target if he so
> wants.  If it's possible to reliably warn without giving false  
> failures
> without a lot of work, then it would help.  But often such checks turn
> out to be rather expensive in both developer time and automake run  
> time.

When you put `check' in `check_SCRIPTS' you're not directly willing  
to override the `check' target.  `check' can happen to be generated,  
or it may not.  I think it would be relevant to warn users that  
putting `check' in `check_SCRIPTS' can lead to infinite make  
recursion, and mention that in the docs.

> > Maybe something along these lines would be better:
> > diff --git a/automake.in b/automake.in
> > index 3c47cc1..263674c 100755
> > --- a/automake.in
> > +++ b/automake.in
> > @@ -6826,8 +6826,10 @@ sub am_primary_prefixes ($$@)
> >  # Handle `where_HOW' variable magic.  Does all lookups, generates
> >  # install code, and possibly generates code to define the primary
> > -# variable.  The first argument is the name of the .am file to  
> > munge,
> > -# the second argument is the primary variable (e.g. HEADERS), and  
> > all
> > +# variable.  The first argument can be one of: '-noextra', '- 
> > candist',
> > +# or '-defaultdist'.  FIXME: Document these options.
> > +# The following argument is the name of the .am file to munge,
> > +# the following argument is the primary variable (e.g. HEADERS),  
> > and all
> >  # subsequent arguments are possible installation locations.
>
> Sorry, but I don't understand at all what you're trying to say here.

Hmm sorry, it's just that the documentation of that function doesn't  
mention that the first argument can be an option such as '-candist'  
and it disturbed me when wandering through the code, somehow.

--
Benoit Sigoure aka Tsuna
EPITA Research and Development Laboratory

PGP.sig
Description: This is a digitally signed message part