Subject: Re: bug#8326: can't override dvi: target, or others with -local
From: Ralf Wildenhues <[email-masked]>
To: Stefano Lattarini <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked], Karl Berry <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:07:22 +0200
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

Hi Karl, Stefano,

* Stefano Lattarini wrote on Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 09:28:52PM CET:
> On Wednesday 23 March 2011, Karl Berry wrote:
> > (Aside: I'm just curious, what can dvi-local actually be used for?
> > If there's a known use for it, I suggest mentioning it in the doc.)
> >
> If there is a known use, I don't know it; sorry!

Well, say I have a LaTeX document and my own rules to build it.  I want
DVI output of it to be available through 'make dvi', in addition to
Texinfo sources that also produce some DVI output (through the automake-
generated rules).  Then I write

dvi-local: foo.dvi

foo.dvi: ...
        ...

Generally, the *-local rules are the default way to extend targets for
which automake provides rules.  They all work the same way.  Nothing
fancy here, but definitely useful.

> That's already implemented (well, almost -- it's not true for few special
> targets, like `all' and `check'; maybe we should fix this inconsistency?)

Yes; I actually have worked on these two targets (after it came up in
the gnu make discussions with Xan Lopez elsewhere) but am not done yet.
They are a bit nontrivial to fix.

I'm closing this bug as it seems to have been cleared up.

Thanks,
Ralf