Re: why not check $PATH for m4?

[Eric Blake]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

According to Chris Pickett on 2/2/2007 10:58 PM:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm not subscribed, please reply-all.
> 
> I installed m4-1.4.8 locally.  However, in order for auto(re)conf find
> it, I have to do `export M4=$HOME/$MY_PREFIX/bin/m4'
> 
> Otherwise, with an empty $M4, I get this error from /usr/bin/m4:
> 
> /usr/bin/m4: `changeword' from frozen file not found in builtin table!

Sounds like you build $HOME/$MY_PREFIX/bin/m4 with changeword support, but
that your installed version of autoconf was built at a time when only an
older m4 version at /usr/bin/m4 was available.  The location of M4 is
determined when you run ./configure on the autoconf tarball; if you want
to use your newer m4 installation, but don't have root privileges to
install it in the same places as where the existing autoconf is already
looking, then I would suggest also configuring autoconf and installing it
alongside m4 in $HOME/$MY_PREFIX/bin.

> 
> Is this the right behaviour for some reason I don't know?  Can the $PATH
> be checked for m4 first?

The PATH check occurs at ./configure time for autoconf, not at runtime
during autom4te, as a runtime check would noticeably slow down autoconf
and automake.

- --
Don't work too hard, make some time for fun as well!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (Cygwin)
Comment: Public key at home.comcast.net/~ericblake/eblake.gpg
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFFxqf984KuGfSFAYARAusWAJwIE8rP4fkPXy7ZPJjbxc6J6eolvwCgqLdb
1neaYvJSP5AaRQRRNCrPh2M=
=pOoY
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----