bug#33166: automake --add-missing does not install config.rpath when AM_ICONV is used

[Stuart Caie]

On 26/10/2018 20:54, Mathieu Lirzin wrote:
> “config.rpath” which is maintained in GNU Gettext is already copied
> inside the target source tree by the ‘autopoint’ program which is
> automatically run by ‘autoreconf --install’ when the Gettext macros are
> added to “configure.ac”.  ‘autoreconf’ serves as a meta command for the
> autotools which should be used instead of manually running ‘autoconf’,
> ‘aclocal’, ‘automake’, ... in sequence.
>
> Unless you disagree, I will close this bug.

Thanks for the explanation.

I understand that there is a boundary between these two packages, and 
this is not directly automake's problem, even though the main mechanism 
for copying missing files is in automake.

I think I have a corner case. I need iconv but not gettext. I found that 
autoreconf won't even invoke autopoint, and invoking autopoint manually 
won't do anything. So my expectation that autoreconf -i will bring in 
any aux files implied by any standard macro is not met in this situation.

$ autoreconf -v -i -W all
...
autoreconf: configure.ac: not using Gettext
...
$ autopoint
autopoint: *** Missing version: please specify in configure.ac through a 
line 'AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION(x.yy.zz)' the gettext version the package 
is using
autopoint: *** Stop.

How do you think this corner case should be handled?

1) autoreconf and autopoint should look for AM_ICONV as well as 
AM_GNU_GETTEXT_VERSION macros, and install config.rpath

2) I should pretend to need gettext, even though I don't?

3) AM_ICONV invokes AC_LIB_RPATH invokes AC_REQUIRE_AUX_FILE which 
signals automake to complain if config.rpath is missing -- can automake 
copy config.rpath at that time?

4) some other way?

Regards
Stuart