Need more EXTRA_PROGRAMS variables

[Behdad Esfahbod]

Hi Automake hackers,

For the first time I'm stuck with an automake problem and think it's an
unfair limitation of automake rather than my skills being short.

The problem is, the make check target that automake generates builds and
runs $(TESTS), but on systems with non-empty EXEEXT this doesn't work.

The only way I see to fixing this is to add $(EXEEXT) at the end of all
300 test names in my $(TESTS), which is far from elegant.

I can fix it by doing something like:

EXTRA_PROGRAMS = $(ALL_TESTS)
TESTS = $(EXTRA_PROGRAMS)

since the passing through EXTRA_PROGRAMS makes automake append $(EXEEXT)
to the test names for me.  But the problem is, I'm using EXTRA_PROGRAMS
for other things already.  So I need to have another *_PROGRAMS variable
that is not installed, built, or distributed by default.  For
installation and distribution there are the noinst_ and nodist_
prefixes, but unfortunately for default building, there's no such prefix
and only EXTRA_.  The only other special one is check_PROGRAMS but that
forces build at make check time, which I don't want.  That is, I need to
have a EXTRA_tests_PROGRAMS.

A hack to fix the main problem in future automake versions may be to
detect if TESTS is added to EXTRA_PROGRAMS and append EXEEXT in the
proper places automatically.  Not sure.  Handling this and at the same
time allowing for things like:

  make check TESTS="test-this test-that"

or having a test driver in TESTS_ENVIRONMENT may be tricky.

Any comments, hints, insights, etc is appreaciated.

Cheers,
-- 
behdad
http://behdad.org/

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little
 Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
        -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759