Re: AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR now required when mdate-sh resides in subdir?

[Derek R. Price]

Jim Meyering wrote:

> Hi Derek,
>
> Recently, automake changed so that I get the following in fileutils-4.1,
> even though I've put a copy of mdate-sh (though not in the official tarball)
> in doc/.
>
>   $ automake --gnits --include-deps
>   doc/Makefile.am:2: required file `./mdate-sh' not found
>
> I don't use AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR.  The last time I checked, I found it didn't
> work because some of those aux files live at the top level, and others
> (like mdate-sh and texinfo.tex) belong in doc/.

That's the way AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR is defined.  It allows for the relocation of
_all_ of the "auxiliary files used in configuration".  This can be decidedly
convenient if you have two doc directories for some reason.  An explicit
exception was made for texinfo.tex, but only when AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR isn't set
explicitly.

I would guess that a similar exception for mdate-sh would be acceptable if
others thought it a good idea.  I don't know much about it, but glancing
through the code seems to confirm that an exception wouldn't hurt.  My glance
through the code also seems to confirm that this shouldn't be too hard to
accomplish.

Derek

--
Derek Price                      CVS Solutions Architect ( http://CVSHome.org )
mailto:address@hidden         CollabNet ( http://collab.net )
--
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."

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