Re: Errors when building from source

[Akim Demaille]

Hi Wouter!

> Le 26 déc. 2018 à 19:11, Wouter Beek <address@hidden> a écrit :
> 
> When I compile Flex prior to compiling Bison, I get the following error:
> 
>    $ make
>    Making all in src
>    make[1]: Entering directory '/home/wbeek/git/flex/src'
>    make  all-am
>    make[2]: Entering directory '/home/wbeek/git/flex/src'
>    /bin/bash ../build-aux/ylwrap parse.y y.tab.c parse.c y.tab.h
> `echo parse.c | sed -e s/cc$/hh/ -e s/cpp$/hpp/ -e s/cxx$/hxx/ -e
> s/c++$/h++/ -e s/c$/h/` y.output parse.output -- ../build-aux/missing
> bison -y -d
>    /home/wbeek/git/flex/src/../build-aux/missing: 81:
> /home/wbeek/git/flex/src/../build-aux/missing: bison: not found
>    WARNING: 'bison' is missing on your system.
>             You should only need it if you modified a '.y' file.
>             You may want to install the GNU Bison package:
>             <http: www.gnu.org="" software="" bison="">
>    Makefile:1436: recipe for target 'parse.c' failed
>    make[2]: *** [parse.c] Error 127
>    make[2]: Leaving directory '/home/wbeek/git/flex/src'
>    Makefile:552: recipe for target 'all' failed
>    make[1]: *** [all] Error 2
>    make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/wbeek/git/flex/src'
>    Makefile:541: recipe for target 'all-recursive' failed
>    make: *** [all-recursive] Error 1

I didn't know Flex was using Bison.  AFAIR, years ago it was on
top of itself.  Did you start from a tarball of Flex?  It should
not require flex.  Likewise for Bison: you were starting from git,
not from a tarball; it is more demanding in this context.

> From the above I had concluded that I should first compile Bison and
> Flex later.

Can't you get Flex from your distro?


>  I've included the full log of Bison make at the end of
> this email.  I'm cloning Flex from https://github.com/westes/flex,
> which I assume is the official repo.

Yup.

> BTW, I also ran into the following error while running the `bootstrap'
> script in my local Bison directory for the first time:
> 
>    configure.ac:110: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_PROG_GNU_M4
>        If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
>        See the Autoconf documentation.
>    autoreconf: /usr/bin/autoconf failed with exit status: 1
> 
> The link `m4/m4.m4' was not present in my local Bison directory.
> Following the discussion in
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-bison/2011-05/msg00012.html, I
> learned that running `git submodule update --init' prior to running
> `bootstrap' fixes this.

That's weird.  What "git status" noticing any difference?



>  Since this `git submodule' command step not
> normally be required, this may (or may not) be related to the issue I see
> when I run `make' later.
> 
> Finally, the `README' file mentions the `INSTALL' file, but in my local
> Bison directory this file was only generated later (by running
> `bootstrap' IIRC).

Yes.  INSTALL is not for people pulling the git repo, but running
the tarball.  README-hacking is for people working from the repo.


>  When this link is created, it seems to link to gnulib's
> `INSTALL' file.  IIUC there is not Bison-specific `INSTALL' file?

Nope, it's standard for GNU projects.


> checking for flex... no

Ok.


> $ make
> [...]
>  LEX      src/scan-code.c
>  LEX      src/scan-gram.c
>  LEX      src/scan-skel.c

I wonder what happened here.  Please, run "make V=1 src/scan-code.c".
It should show what command was actually run.

Cheers!