Re: Python module macro check

[Dave Fancella]

On Monday 27 June 2005 02:09 am, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:

> Small suggestion for your macro: users might want to be able to react
> differently to that fact that a macro may not be available.  Overridable
> optional arguments [ACTION-IF-FOUND], [ACTION-IF-NOT-FOUND] would make
> this easy.  (This situation is common for, say, macros in new versions).

Hmmm, it was my first ever m4 macro.  I'll be happy to fix it to be like that, 
I was trying to imitate other autoconf macros.  :)  I could use a pointer to 
some documentation on the subject, though.  I think I need to learn another 
macro language just to understand the m4 manual.  Or I need a nap, one of the 
two.

> I can't speak for the Autoconf developers, but you might just have more
> chances of acceptance in the autoconf macro archives[1].  Speaking of,
> there seems to be a macro with similar functionality already listed
> there, which you may be able to make use of.

Which one?  Turns out those links are purple in my browser, so I guess I 
visited there looking for python macros already.  :)  The only one I found, 
while very useful, only checks the python version.  There is one that ships 
with (I forget which) either autoconf or automake that sets a bunch of 
variables with things like Python's package directory and so forth.  What I 
didn't find was a macro to check for specific python modules installed and 
available for use by python programs.  Heck, not even distutils will let you 
check for that stuff.  Hmmm, there is a way, but it's a hack on top of 
distutils (or at least, I think it is, possible others disagree with me *and* 
are right).

Dave

> Regards,
> Ralf
>
> [1] http://autoconf-archive.cryp.to/
>     http://ac-archive.sourceforge.net/
>
> > dnl macro that checks for specific modules in python
> > AC_DEFUN([AC_PYTHON_MODULE],
> > [AC_MSG_CHECKING(for module $1 in python)
> > echo "import $1" | python -
> > if test $? -ne 0 ; then
> > AC_MSG_RESULT(not found)
> > AC_MSG_ERROR(You need the module $1 available to python for this package)
> > fi
> > AC_MSG_RESULT(found)
> > ])