Subject: bug#35526: closed ()

From: [email-masked] (GNU bug Tracking System)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:29:02 +0000

Your bug report

#35526: misleading documentation about flag variable ordering

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

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to [email-masked].

-- 
35526: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=35526
GNU Bug Tracking System
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From: Karl Berry <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:28:10 -0700
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

Subject: misleading documentation about flag variable ordering
From: Daniel Kahn Gillmor <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 01 May 2019 13:33:16 -0400
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/automake.html#Flag-Variables-Ordering

says:

    The reason ‘$(CPPFLAGS)’ appears after ‘$(AM_CPPFLAGS)’ or
    ‘$(mumble_CPPFLAGS)’ in the compile command is that users should
    always have the last say.

The implication here is that for any of the *FLAGS variables, later
options are inherently more effective than earlier options.

This is not the case universally.  For example -Wl,--as-needed is more
effective if it shows up earlier in the command line.  (see
https://bugs.debian.org/347650 for a libtool-related problem for that
kind of ordering/re-ordering)

It would be good if the documentation could avoid implying something
that isn't the case, because that dubious suggestion casts doubt on the
rest of the documentation (or on the user's understanding of the rest of
the buildsystem)

thanks for maintaining automake!

    --dkg