Re: [patch] proposed automake.texi patch for "How the Linker is Chosen"

[Alexandre Duret-Lutz]

>>> "Adrian" == Adrian Bunk <address@hidden> writes:

 Adrian> Hi,
 Adrian> IMHO the big diagram in "How the Linker is Chosen" of automake.texi is 
 Adrian> harder to understand than simply writing the rules behind.

I agree, and it is also out-of-date.  I'm checking this in on
HEAD and branch-1-9.

2005-01-23  Alexandre Duret-Lutz  <address@hidden>

        * doc/automake.texi (How the Linker is Chosen): Explain how the
        linker is chosen without diagram, and update to match the code.
        Suggestion from Adrian Bunk.

Index: doc/automake.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/automake/automake/doc/automake.texi,v
retrieving revision 1.44.2.34
diff -u -r1.44.2.34 automake.texi
--- doc/automake.texi   9 Jan 2005 12:07:03 -0000       1.44.2.34
+++ doc/automake.texi   23 Jan 2005 22:15:33 -0000
@@ -4305,50 +4305,45 @@
 @cindex Automatic linker selection
 @cindex Selecting the linker automatically
 
-The following diagram demonstrates under what conditions a particular
-linker is chosen by Automake.
+When a program or library mixes several languages, Automake choose the
+linker according to the following priorities.  (The names in
+parentheses are the variables containing the link command.)
 
-For example, if Fortran 77, C and C++ source code were to be compiled
address@hidden
address@hidden
address@hidden GCJLINK
+Native Java (@code{GCJLINK})
address@hidden
address@hidden CXXLINK
+C++ (@code{CXXLINK})
address@hidden
address@hidden F77LINK
+Fortran 77 (@code{F77LINK})
address@hidden
address@hidden FCLINK
+Fortran (@code{FCLINK})
address@hidden
address@hidden OBJCLINK
+Objective C (@code{OBJCLINK})
address@hidden
address@hidden LINK
+C (@code{LINK})
address@hidden enumerate
+
+For example, if Fortran 77, C and C++ source code is compiled
 into a program, then the C++ linker will be used.  In this case, if the
 C or Fortran 77 linkers required any special libraries that weren't
 included by the C++ linker, then they must be manually added to an
 @code{_LDADD} or @code{_LIBADD} variable by the user writing the
 @file{Makefile.am}.
 
address@hidden
-                     \              Linker
-          source      \
-           code        \     C        C++     Fortran
-     -----------------  +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-     C                  |    x    |         |         |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-         C++            |         |    x    |         |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-               Fortran  |         |         |    x    |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-     C + C++            |         |    x    |         |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-     C +       Fortran  |         |         |    x    |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-         C++ + Fortran  |         |    x    |         |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
-                        |         |         |         |
-     C + C++ + Fortran  |         |    x    |         |
-                        |         |         |         |
-                        +---------+---------+---------+
address@hidden example
+Automake only looks at the filenames listed in @file{_SOURCES}
+variables to choose the linker, and defaults to the C linker.
+Sometimes this is inconvenient because you are linking against a
+library written in another language and would like to set the linker
+more appropriately.  @xref{Libtool Convenience Libraries}, for a
+trick with @address@hidden
+
 
 @node Fortran 9x Support
 @comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
-- 
Alexandre Duret-Lutz