Re: [bug-gettext] VPATH distcheck build fails

[Bruno Haible]

Hi Tim,

> I am possible at the wrong ML now, but see the braking shell code as
> well in gnulib/build-aux/po/Makefile.in.in.

CCing bug-gettext, since that is the more appropriate mailing list.

> The make target '$(DOMAIN).pot-update:' contains this code:
>           if test -f $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot; then \
>             sed -f remove-potcdate.sed < $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot >
> $(DOMAIN).1po && \
>             sed -f remove-potcdate.sed < $(DOMAIN).po > $(DOMAIN).2po && \
>             if cmp $(DOMAIN).1po $(DOMAIN).2po >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
>               rm -f $(DOMAIN).1po $(DOMAIN).2po $(DOMAIN).po; \
>             else \
>               rm -f $(DOMAIN).1po $(DOMAIN).2po $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot && \
>               mv $(DOMAIN).po $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot; \
>             fi; \
>           else \
>             mv $(DOMAIN).po $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot; \
>           fi; \
> 
> In a vpath build (using the configure script outside the main project
> directory), the line
>               rm -f $(DOMAIN).1po $(DOMAIN).2po $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot
> is triggered and thus breaks 'make distcheck'.
> 
> This due to all files in $(srcdir) are read-only.

That piece of Makefile code is careful to not touch $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot
if $(DOMAIN).1po $(DOMAIN).2po are the same. They are generated through

            sed -f remove-potcdate.sed < $(srcdir)/$(DOMAIN).pot > 
$(DOMAIN).1po && \
            sed -f remove-potcdate.sed < $(DOMAIN).po > $(DOMAIN).2po && \

To investigate the cause of this failure, compare the files
wget.po and $(srcdir)/wget.po. They ought to differ only in the 
POT-Creation-Date
line.

Bruno