GNU bug report logs - #7669
option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and portability warnings.

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#7669: closed (option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and
 portability warnings.)
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:23:02 +0000

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Your message dated Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:28:39 +0100
with message-id <201101152128.39869.stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
and subject line Re: bug#7669: option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and portability warnings.
has caused the GNU bug report #7669,
regarding option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and portability warnings.
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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7669: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7669
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From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-automake <at> gnu.org
Subject: option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and portability warnings.
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:52:29 +0100

Hello automakers.

This is basically just a reproposal of PR/547 from the old gnats database;
I'm resubmitting it here because I'd really like to see it fixed, and
having it reported in the new, more visible debbugs-based bug database
might help in this respect.

-*-*-*-

With automake >= 1.10, foreign *after* -Wall in AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE turns
off portability warnings.

  $ cat >> configure.ac <<'END'
  AC_INIT([foo], [1.0])
  AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign -Wall])
  AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
  AC_PROG_CC
  END
  $ aclocal
  $ cat > Makefile.am <<'END'
  CFLAGS := $(wildcard *)
  bin_PROGRAMS = foo
  END
  $ automake -a # will warn as expected
  Makefile.am:1: `:='-style assignments are not portable
  Makefile.am:1: wildcard *: non-POSIX variable name
  Makefile.am:1: (probably a GNU make extension)
  Makefile.am:1: `CFLAGS' is a user variable, you should not override it;
  Makefile.am:1: use `AM_CFLAGS' instead.
  $ # now put `foreign' after `-Wall'
  $ sed -i 's/foreign -Wall/-Wall foreign/' configure.ac
  $ automake -a # gives no warnings!
  $ automake -a -Wall # but this does, luckily
  Makefile.am:1: `:='-style assignments are not portable
  Makefile.am:1: wildcard *: non-POSIX variable name
  Makefile.am:1: (probably a GNU make extension)
  Makefile.am:1: `CFLAGS' is a user variable, you should not override it;
  Makefile.am:1: use `AM_CFLAGS' instead.

While the current behaviour is due to various historical and implementation
reasons, IMHO it is counter-intuitive and somewhat "dangerous", since
programmers enabling the `foreign' option might unwittingly be prevented
from seeing portability warnings -- when they think to have enabled those
warnings!

Regards,
   Stefano

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From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Ralf Wildenhues <Ralf.Wildenhues <at> gmx.de>
Cc: 7669-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7669: option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and
	portability warnings.
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:28:39 +0100

On Thursday 23 December 2010, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> On Sunday 19 December 2010, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 07:52:29PM CET:
> > > With automake >= 1.10, foreign *after* -Wall in AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE turns
> > > off portability warnings.
> > 
> > > While the current behaviour is due to various historical and implementation
> > > reasons, IMHO it is counter-intuitive and somewhat "dangerous", since
> > > programmers enabling the `foreign' option might unwittingly be prevented
> > > from seeing portability warnings -- when they think to have enabled those
> > > warnings!
> > 
> Now I've posted a patch series about this; see:
>  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2010-12/msg00139.html>
> 
The patch series has been applied (with some churns and amendings), see:
 <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-01/msg00039.html>
 <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-01/msg00170.html>
and merged to master with commit `v1.11-640-gf4f5bbe'.

This should fix the bug.

Regards,
  Stefano

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