Re: 95-libs-var-am.patch

[Akim Demaille]

| >>>>> "Akim" == Akim Demaille <address@hidden> writes:
| Akim> * automake.in (&read_am_file, &file_contents_internal): Don't
| Akim> define macros when `FALSE', to avoid errors on doubly defined
| Akim> variables but under condition `FALSE'.  In order to allow...
| Akim> (&am_install_var): When reading the associated file for the first
| Akim> time, enable `%?FIRST%'.
| Akim> (&handle_libraries): Let libs.am define $(AR) and $(RANLIB).
| Akim> * libs.am: Do it when `%?FIRST%'.
| 
| This is ok.
| 
| However I wonder if it is really what we want.
| This is an ad hoc mechanism in am_install_var.  But we'll also need an
| ad hoc mechanism in add_depend2.

Yep, most probably some day.  Maybe it's even in the queue, I don't
remember.

| Why not introduce a syntax for defining something once?
| 
|     *FOO = ...

Up to now, I have tried to resist the temptation of introducing a new
syntax.  I try to stick to Make, and sometimes I consider using GNU
Make syntax.  But then the problem is that the user might find it hard
to tell Automake she wants to talk to GNU Make, not Automake.

So it's somewhat unclear.

I'm trying to reuse so that there is nothing new to learn.


| At some point we should document the syntax of the .am files.  It
| doesn't have to be anything formal; just a comment in automake.in.

My goal is also that file_contents and read_am_file be the same
routine, so this documentation will be naturally the user's
documentation.