GNU bug report logs - #34846
top_builddir incorrectly formulated when src directory at same level as configure

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Allwright, James" <James.Allwright <at> TheAA.com>
To: "bug-automake <at> gnu.org" <bug-automake <at> gnu.org>
Cc: "Allwright, James" <James.Allwright <at> TheAA.com>
Subject: top_builddir incorrectly formulated when src directory at same level
 as configure 
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:44:36 +0000

Hi,

I believe I have found a bug in automake relating to the parsing of
filepaths and/or directories.

I am getting a make failure after running "configure", then
"make" as follows:

~/autotools/proj3$ make
Making all in ../proj3_src
make[1]: Entering directory '/home/allwrigj/autotools/proj3_src'
cd ../.. && make  am--refresh
make[2]: Entering directory '/home/allwrigj'
make[2]: *** No rule to make target 'am--refresh'. Stop.
make[2]: Leaving directory '/home/allwrigj'
Makefile:278: recipe for target '../../aclocal.m4' failed
make[1]: *** [../../aclocal.m4] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/allwrigj/autotools/proj3_src'
Makefile:330: recipe for target 'all-recursive' failed
make: *** [all-recursive] Error 1

I have tracked down the problem in proj3_src/Makefile :

top_builddir = ../..

should be

top_builddir = ../proj3

and with this change, the program compiles as expected.

In  proj3/ Makefile.am  I have

SUBDIRS= ../proj3_src

and in proj3/configure.ac I have

AC_INIT([../proj3_src/hello.c], [0.1])
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign])
AC_PROG_CC
AC_PROG_INSTALL
AC_OUTPUT(Makefile)
AC_OUTPUT(../proj3_src/Makefile)

The versions of the tools are
automake (GNU automake) 1.15
autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69

Regards,

James Allwright
Software Developer,
The Automobile Association

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Message #8 received at 34846 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Hans-Bernhard Bröker <HBBroeker <at> t-online.de>
To: "Allwright, James" <James.Allwright <at> TheAA.com>, 34846 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#34846: top_builddir incorrectly formulated when src directory
 at same level as configure
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2019 20:23:07 +0100

Am 13.03.2019 um 16:44 schrieb Allwright, James:
> Hi,
> 
> I believe I have found a bug in automake relating to the parsing of
> filepaths and/or directories.

I believe you have used automake incorrectly.

> In  proj3/ Makefile.am  I have
> 
> SUBDIRS= ../proj3_src

According to what it says on the tin, you're supposed to put
_subdirectories_ into that SUBDIRS listing.

But that's not a subdirectory  It's a next-door directory.

Message #11 received at 34846 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Mike Frysinger <vapier <at> gentoo.org>
To: Hans-Bernhard Bröker <HBBroeker <at> t-online.de>
Cc: 34846 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, "Allwright, James" <James.Allwright <at> TheAA.com>
Subject: Re: bug#34846: top_builddir incorrectly formulated when src
 directory at same level as configure
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2022 23:12:47 -0500

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 13 Mar 2019 20:23, Hans-Bernhard Bröker wrote:
> Am 13.03.2019 um 16:44 schrieb Allwright, James:
> > I believe I have found a bug in automake relating to the parsing of
> > filepaths and/or directories.
> 
> I believe you have used automake incorrectly.
> 
> > In  proj3/ Makefile.am  I have
> > 
> > SUBDIRS= ../proj3_src
> 
> According to what it says on the tin, you're supposed to put
> _subdirectories_ into that SUBDIRS listing.
> 
> But that's not a subdirectory  It's a next-door directory.

yeah, this is pretty unusual.  i don't know that i've seen this pattern
before, or that it's supported.  this logic is coming from autoconf though,
not automake, so i going to route it to them to decide whether to accept.
-mike

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