GNU bug report logs - #19539
AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be called early

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Pavel Raiskup <praiskup <at> redhat.com>
Subject: bug#19539: closed (Re: bug#19539: [1.15] AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should
 be called early)
Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2022 04:19:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#19539: AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be called early

which was filed against the autoconf package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 19539 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
19539: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=19539
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Mike Frysinger <vapier <at> gentoo.org>
To: Pavel Raiskup <praiskup <at> redhat.com>
Cc: 19539-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, autoconf-patches <autoconf-patches <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: bug#19539: [1.15] AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be called early
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2022 23:18:13 -0500

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On 30 Jan 2015 17:49, Pavel Raiskup wrote:
> [+cc autoconf as this should be done in cooperation]
> 
> On Thursday 08 of January 2015 16:43:02 Pavel Raiskup wrote:
> > Hi, automake-1.15 behaves differently when AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR is specified
> > after AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS (example attached which worked with
> > automake-1.14.1):
> >
> >   $ autoreconf -vfi
> >   $ ./configure
> >   configure: error: cannot find install-sh, install.sh, or shtool in "." "./.." "./../.."
> >
> > I think this is result of the commit:
> > http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/automake.git/commit/?h=minor&id=7bc592708cc65
> >
> > I believe that it is bad practice (and probably not-a-bug itself) and
> > AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be specified as soon as possible, but we do not
> > have this documented (yet).  Thats why I write to bug-automake.  Maybe we
> > could install some AC_BEFORE warnings into autoconf but I would like to
> > discuss it here.
> > And at least it is good to have documented that behavior changed upstream.
> >
> > Original bugreport:
> > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1179182
> 
> Some more words, I was probably able to catch the real issue.  In the
> failing example was done something like:
> 
>   AC_INIT([amhello], [1.0], [maint <at> maint.maint])
>   AC_GNU_SOURCE
>   AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
>   AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign -Werror])
>   AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
>   AC_OUTPUT
> 
> For this file, autoreconf (even upstream git version) produces broken
> configure file if automake-1.15 is used.  This is caused by the following
> facts:
> 
>   * AC_GNU_SOURCE calls transitively AC_PROG_CC
> 
>   * aclocal redefines AC_PROG_CC in aclocal.m4 quite hacky way, but truth
>     is that this has been automake doing from v1.13.  But..
> 
>   * .. the AC_PROG_CC requires AM_AUX_DIR_EXPAND, which was newly changed
>     [1] to require AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT.  This is not so bad
>     practice, I would say, thats actually what AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT
>     exists for.
> 
> Because the example uses explicit non-default AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR, the
> AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT is called first and its check fails because all
> auxiliary files (including install-sh) are installed in non-default path.
> 
> I believe that new autoconf-2.70 should warn when configure.ac calls
> AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT before AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR.  This can be done
> easily by:
> 
>   AC_PROG_INSTALL
>   AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([non-default-aux-dir])
> 
> I'm able to hack on Automake patch, but that depends on the Autoconf
> maintainers opinions and whether the attached patch is OK.  The proposed
> patch would be:
> 
>   If we already hack some macro (namely AC_PROG_CC) which we make
>   dependant on AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR, we should also hack AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR so
>   it calls AC_BEFORE([AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR], [AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR_DEFAULT]).
>   All that only if autoconf v2.69 or older is used.
> 
> At the beginning, the patch for autoconf is attached.
> 
> [1] http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/automake.git/commit/?h=minor&id=7bc592708cc65

i believe this has been addressed by Zach's patch:
http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/autoconf.git/commit/?h=4c59bf27d7083088290219450c81d999431b43f1

Author: Zack Weinberg <zackw <at> panix.com>
Date:   Tue Oct 20 13:27:22 2020 -0400

Improve handling of missing aux scripts.
-mike

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From: Pavel Raiskup <praiskup <at> redhat.com>
To: Automake Bugs <bug-automake <at> gnu.org>
Subject: [1.15] AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be called early
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 16:43:02 +0100

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Hi, automake-1.15 behaves differently when AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR is specified
after AC_USE_SYSTEM_EXTENSIONS (example attached which worked with
automake-1.14.1):

  $ autoreconf -vfi
  $ ./configure
  configure: error: cannot find install-sh, install.sh, or shtool in "." "./.." "./../.."

I think this is result of the commit:
http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/automake.git/commit/?h=minor&id=7bc592708cc65

I believe that it is bad practice (and probably not-a-bug itself) and
AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR should be specified as soon as possible, but we do not
have this documented (yet).  Thats why I write to bug-automake.  Maybe we
could install some AC_BEFORE warnings into autoconf but I would like to
discuss it here.
And at least it is good to have documented that behavior changed upstream.

Original bugreport: 
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1179182

Pavel

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