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>
Subject: bug#7669: closed (Re: bug#7669: option "foreign" after "-Wall"
 turns off and portability warnings.)
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:23:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#7669: option "foreign" after "-Wall" turns off and portability warnings.

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 7669 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
7669: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7669
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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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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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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