Re: distcleancheck.patch

[Bruce Korb]

Alexandre Duret-Lutz wrote:
> 
> Bruce & Karl, would the following be enough for you?

Pretty close :-)

...

> +Speaking about potential distribution errors, @code{distcheck} will also
> +ensure that the @code{distclean} target actually removes all built
> +files.  This is done by running @code{make distcleancheck} at the end of
> +the @code{VPATH} build.  By default, @code{distcleancheck} will run
> address@hidden and then make sure the build tree has been emptied by
> +running @code{$(distcleancheck_listfiles)}.  Usually this check will
> +find generated files that you forgot to add to the @code{DISTCLEANFILES}

Unlike MAINTAINERCLEANFILES, this one is named DIST_CLEAN_FILES.
Though I like this name much better, consistency is important, too,
and MAINTAINERCLEANFILES has a lot of history....Ick.

> +variable (@pxref{Clean}).
> +
> +The @code{distcleancheck} behaviour should be ok for most packages,
> +otherwise you have the possibility to override the definitition of
> +either the @code{distcleancheck} target, or the
> address@hidden(distcleancheck_listfiles)} variable.  For instance to disable
> address@hidden completely, add the following rule to your
> +top-level @file{Makefile.am}:
> +
> address@hidden
> +distcleancheck:
> +        @@:
> address@hidden example
> +
> +If you want @code{distcleancheck} to ignore built files which have not
> +been cleaned because they are also part of the distribution, add the
> +following definition instead:
> +
> address@hidden
> +distcleancheck_listfiles = \
> +  find -type f -exec sh -c 'test -f $(scrdir)/@address@hidden || echo 
> @address@hidden'
> address@hidden example

I see how this works, but on the other hand, the Makefile.in output
file is generated from a Perl script.  As such, it really is not
terribly difficult to take this:

  @exemple
  distcleancheck_ignores_rebuilt_files = true
  @end example

and massage it into doing the right thing.  I am _very_much_ a believer
in making things easy to use for end users (e.g., me).  I don't want
to know the implementation details of the distcleancheck rule.  If it
turns out that it is "hard" to make alternate text based on clues like
the above, then I have two proposals:

1.  do it as you suggest
2.  add infrastructure so that it becomes easy.