multiple configure.ac --> single aclocal.m4

[Sam Steingold]

I have a large package with many subpackages.
each subpackage has its own configure.ac.
how do I generate aclocal.m4?
(I would rather not create a dozen separate aclocal.m4 files
- one for each subpackage)

I tried merging all the configure.in files in one:

src/autoconf/aclocal.m4 : $(wildcard src/m4/*.m4) $(addsuffix .in,$(CONFIGURES))
        egrep '(AC_INIT|AC_PREREQ)' src/configure.in > configure.ac
        cat $(addsuffix .in,$(CONFIGURES)) | egrep -v 
'(AC_INIT|AC_CONFIG_HEADER|AC_OUTPUT|AC_CONFIG_FILE.*(Makefile|link\.sh)|_CANONICAL_|AC_PREREQ)'
 >> configure.ac
        echo AC_OUTPUT >> configure.ac
        aclocal -I `pwd`/src/m4 --output=src/autoconf/aclocal.m4
        $(RM) configure.ac

this results in these warnings and errors:
(aclocal (GNU automake) 1.9.5)

aclocal -I `pwd`/src/m4 --output=src/autoconf/aclocal.m4
/usr/share/aclocal/freetype2.m4:7: warning: underquoted definition of 
AC_CHECK_FT2
  run info '(automake)Extending aclocal'
  or see http://sources.redhat.com/automake/automake.html#Extending-aclocal

[so is the file freetype2.m4 that came with automake broken?!]

configure.ac:332: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
autoconf/specific.m4:427: AC_AIX is expanded from...
configure.ac:332: the top level
configure.ac:332: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX

[no wonder: this AC_AIX is _not_ the _first_ AC_AIX in the merged
configure.ac, the first AC_AIX does come before the first AC_RUN_IFELSE]

configure.ac:354: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:354: the top level
configure.ac:354: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:355: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before gl_USE_SYSTEM_EXT
ENSIONS
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/extensions.m4:30: gl_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS
is expanded from...
configure.ac:355: the top level
configure.ac:355: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before gl_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSI
ONS
configure.ac:956: warning: CL_MPROTECT was called before CL_GETPAGESIZE
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/getpagesize.m4:39: CL_GETPAGESIZE is expand
ed from...
configure.ac:956: the top level

[same here: several subpackage configure.in use CL_GETPAGESIZE and
CL_MPROTECT, and in each file they are in the right order]

configure.ac:958: warning: CL_MMAP was called before CL_OPENFLAGS
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/openflags.m4:36: CL_OPENFLAGS is expanded f
rom...
configure.ac:958: the top level
configure.ac:959: warning: CL_MUNMAP was called before CL_MMAP
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/mmap.m4:148: CL_MMAP is expanded from...
configure.ac:959: the top level
configure.ac:959: warning: CL_MPROTECT was called before CL_MMAP
configure.ac:961: warning: CL_SHM_RMID was called before CL_SHM_H
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/shm.m4:19: CL_SHM_H is expanded from...
configure.ac:961: the top level
configure.ac:962: warning: CL_SHM_RMID was called before CL_SHM
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/shm.m4:54: CL_SHM is expanded from...
configure.ac:962: the top level
configure.ac:1004: warning: AC_LIBTOOL_SETUP was called before AC_DISABLE_SHARED

/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/libtool.m4:1853: AC_DISABLE_SHARED is expan
ded from...
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/libtool.m4:6090: AM_DISABLE_SHARED is expan
ded from...
configure.ac:1004: the top level
configure.ac:1035: warning: AC_LIBTOOL_SETUP was called before AC_DISABLE_SHARED

configure.ac:1035: the top level
configure.ac:1058: warning: AC_LIBTOOL_SETUP was called before AC_DISABLE_SHARED

configure.ac:1058: the top level
configure.ac:1063: warning: CL_MPROTECT was called before CL_GETPAGESIZE
configure.ac:1063: the top level
configure.ac:1065: warning: CL_MMAP was called before CL_OPENFLAGS
configure.ac:1065: the top level
configure.ac:1066: warning: CL_MUNMAP was called before CL_MMAP
configure.ac:1066: the top level
configure.ac:1066: warning: CL_MPROTECT was called before CL_MMAP
configure.ac:1068: warning: CL_SHM_RMID was called before CL_SHM_H
configure.ac:1068: the top level
configure.ac:1069: warning: CL_SHM_RMID was called before CL_SHM
configure.ac:1069: the top level
configure.ac:1107: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:1107: the top level
configure.ac:1107: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:1108: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_MINIX
autoconf/specific.m4:446: AC_MINIX is expanded from...
configure.ac:1108: the top level
configure.ac:1108: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_MINIX
configure.ac:1265: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:1265: the top level
configure.ac:1265: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_AIX
configure.ac:1266: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_MINIX
configure.ac:1266: the top level
configure.ac:1266: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_MINIX
configure.ac:1276: warning: AC_LIBTOOL_SETUP was called before AC_LIBTOOL_WIN32_
DLL
/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/m4/libtool.m4:1814: AC_LIBTOOL_WIN32_DLL is ex
panded from...
configure.ac:1276: the top level
cd modules/regexp; autoconf --include=/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current/src/autoconf
 --include=/cygdrive/d/gnu/clisp/current
configure:6028: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_CHECK_HEADERS_ONCE
      If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
      See the Autoconf documentation.
configure:6029: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_CHECK_FUNCS_ONCE
make: *** [modules/regexp/configure] Error 1


this error is baffling.  AC_CHECK_FUNCS_ONCE and AC_CHECK_HEADERS_ONCE
are not in aclocal.m4 -- why?  (they are defined in src/m4/onceonly.m4,
but that file is not included in aclocal.m4).

So: how do I use aclocal.m4 with multiple subpackage configure.in?

thanks!

-- 
Sam Steingold (http://www.podval.org/~sds) running w2k
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