Re: Bigger picture of automake variables

[Ralf Wildenhues]

* LCID Fire wrote on Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 07:40:00PM CET:
> Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> 
> >> So basically variables are not ever transported between Makefiles.
> > Correct.
> Is this written down somewhere on the docs?

Not really.

> > Well, what really happens is that, with
> >   AC_SUBST([VARIABLE])
> > 
> > in configure.ac, and
> >   VARIABLE = my value from Makefile.am
> > 
> > in Makefile.am, the Makefile.in will contain
> > 
> >   VARIABLE = @VARIABLE@
> >   ...
> >   VARIABLE = my value from Makefile.am
> > 
> > and thus the latter wins.
> I think this is a candidate for the docs.

This is documented in the description of AC_SUBST in @node Optional.

> > Good documentation patches are always welcome.  :-)
> Make the docs a wiki and I'll be eager to update the docs :)

There are too many bad autotools docs out there to make that seem
appealing.  The FSF wants Texinfo as primary documentation, and I
don't really have the time to deal with another extra sort of manual.

> -Finally you should not think either that the existence of a per-target
> -variable implies that of an @code{AM_} variable or that of a user
> +Finally you should not think that the existence of a per-target
> +variable implies the existance of an @code{AM_} variable or of a user
>  variable.  For instance, the @code{mumble_LDADD} per-target variable
> -overrides the global @code{LDADD} variable (which is not a user
> +overrides the makefile-wide @code{LDADD} variable (which is not a user
>  variable), and @code{mumble_LIBADD} exists only as a per-target
>  variable.  @xref{Program and Library Variables}.

Thanks.  Pushed with that change, put you in THANKS, both branches.

Cheers,
Ralf