Re: AM_DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT

[Akim Demaille]

>>> "RW" == Ralf Wildenhues <address@hidden> writes:

 > Hi Akim,
 > hope I'm not going on your nerves yet .. ;-)

Hi Ralf,

Well, I'm the one who should plead guilty :(  I apologize to be so not
responsive.

 >> >>>  AM_DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT = .cc

 >> > Hum, actually I meant to use extensions without the dot :(

 > OK, so I thought long enough about this issue to find an actual argument
 > to support my case, and failed to find a good one for your case in the
 > next couple of seconds after that.  :-)

 > Here it goes: the user could arguably want to use file names that do not
 > contain a dot _at all_.

Yes, definitely.  And I do use that feature from time to time :)

 > The only thing that is missing from portable make is that an inference
 > rule
 >   SUFFIXES = -bla .c
 >   -bla.c:
 >      generate foo.c from foo-bla

 > is not Posix-conforming (but in practice supported by several make
 > implementations).

I did not know it was not.  Why not?  I thought that SUFFICES suffixes
to describe all the possible situations.

My point about dropping the dot was really just to make it easier to
describe a _tool_ connected to an extension, rather that a _rule_.
But it's really a weak issue, maybe we can find an alternative syntax
if there is really a need.

 >     Choose default source extension: AM_DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT.
    
 >     * automake.in (handle_source_transform): Accept unconditional
 >     literal extension in AM_DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT as override for the
 >     default source extension `.c'.  If set, ignore the old default
 >     source rule for libtool libraries.
 >     * doc/automake.texi (Default _SOURCES): Document this.
 >     * NEWS: Update.
 >     * tests/specflg10.test: New test.
 >     * tests/Makefile.am: Update.
 >     Suggestion by Akim Demaille.

This is really nice, thanks a lot!