GNU bug report logs - #8407
aclocal installs third-party m4 files in directories specified with absolute paths, even if it is documented not to

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

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-automake <at> gnu.org
Cc: Ralf Wildenhues <Ralf.Wildenhues <at> gmx.de>, Javier,
	Jardón <jjardon <at> gnome.org>, automake-patches <at> gnu.org
Subject: aclocal installs third-party m4 files in directories specified with
	absolute paths, even if it is documented not to
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2011 20:32:34 +0200

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

Reference to thread:
 <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-04/msg00001.html>
Reference to parent message:
 <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-04/msg00011.html>

On Friday 01 April 2011, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> On Friday 01 April 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 03:13:19PM CEST:
> > > On Friday 01 April 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > > > Patch 2:
> > > > - Should `--install -I $dir' also create an absolute $dir?
> > > >
> > > I think so.  Why shouldn't it?
> > 
> > Well, I don't understand what a legitimate use case would be, that's
> > why.  You need a relative path anyway for --install to copy files there.
> > aclocal won't install to an absolute first -I directory,
> >
Unfortunately, this is not the case (even if such a behaviour is
documented).  For example, with aclocal 1.11.1:

 $ cd /tmp
 $ mkdir foo.dir
 $ cd foo.dir
 $ echo 'AC_INIT(x,0) AC_PROG_LIBTOOL' > configure.ac
 $ mkdir m4
 $ aclocal --install -I `pwd`/m4
 aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/libtool.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/libtool.m4'
 aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltoptions.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltoptions.m4'
 aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltsugar.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltsugar.m4'
 aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltversion.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltversion.m4'
 aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/lt~obsolete.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/lt~obsolete.m4'
 $ ls -l m4
 total 292
 -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano 260519 Apr  1 20:06 libtool.m4
 -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano  11938 Apr  1 20:06 ltoptions.m4
 -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano   4372 Apr  1 20:06 ltsugar.m4
 -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano    703 Apr  1 20:06 ltversion.m4
 -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano   5707 Apr  1 20:06 lt~obsolete.m4

The bug is present also in maint; see the attached testcase which should
be an exposer.

Regards,
  Stefano

[aclocal-install-absdir.test (application/x-shellscript, inline)]

Message #8 received at 8407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: automake-patches <at> gnu.org
Cc: 8407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Javier Jardón <jjardon <at> gnome.org>
Subject: Re: bug#8407: aclocal installs third-party m4 files in directories
	specified with absolute paths, even if it is documented not to
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2011 09:56:59 +0200

On Friday 01 April 2011, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> Reference to thread:
>  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-04/msg00001.html>
> Reference to parent message:
>  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2011-04/msg00011.html>
> 
> On Friday 01 April 2011, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> > On Friday 01 April 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Fri, Apr 01, 2011 at 03:13:19PM CEST:
> > > > On Friday 01 April 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> > > > > Patch 2:
> > > > > - Should `--install -I $dir' also create an absolute $dir?
> > > > >
> > > > I think so.  Why shouldn't it?
> > > 
> > > Well, I don't understand what a legitimate use case would be, that's
> > > why.  You need a relative path anyway for --install to copy files there.
> > > aclocal won't install to an absolute first -I directory,
> > >
> Unfortunately, this is not the case (even if such a behaviour is
> documented).  For example, with aclocal 1.11.1:
> 
>  $ cd /tmp
>  $ mkdir foo.dir
>  $ cd foo.dir
>  $ echo 'AC_INIT(x,0) AC_PROG_LIBTOOL' > configure.ac
>  $ mkdir m4
>  $ aclocal --install -I `pwd`/m4
>  aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/libtool.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/libtool.m4'
>  aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltoptions.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltoptions.m4'
>  aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltsugar.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltsugar.m4'
>  aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/ltversion.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/ltversion.m4'
>  aclocal: installing `/tmp/foo.dir/m4/lt~obsolete.m4' from `/usr/share/aclocal/lt~obsolete.m4'
>  $ ls -l m4
>  total 292
>  -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano 260519 Apr  1 20:06 libtool.m4
>  -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano  11938 Apr  1 20:06 ltoptions.m4
>  -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano   4372 Apr  1 20:06 ltsugar.m4
>  -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano    703 Apr  1 20:06 ltversion.m4
>  -rw-r--r-- 1 stefano stefano   5707 Apr  1 20:06 lt~obsolete.m4
> 
> The bug is present also in maint; see the attached testcase which should
> be an exposer.
> 
> Regards,
>   Stefano
>
I've thought a little more about this, and I now think this bug shouldn't
be fixed by changing the current aclocal real behaviour, but rather the
documentation.  I.e., we should make things simpler and consistent, and,
when `--install' is used, simply copy third-party m4 files in the first
directory specified by `-I', whether absolute or not.  The rationale for
this is that the only reason the documented `--install' behaviour would
exist is to allow users to work around the non-existence of ACLOCAL_PATH
by specifying ACLOCAL='aclocal -I /some/system/dir' (as Ralf pointed out)
-- but we could solve the need of this workaround by applying the pending
patches for ACLOCAL_PATH support Paolo has already written for us.

WDYT?

Regards,
  Stefano

Message #11 received at 8407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: automake-patches <at> gnu.org
Cc: 8407 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Javier Jardón <jjardon <at> gnome.org>
Subject: Re: bug#8407: aclocal installs third-party m4 files in directories
	specified with absolute paths, even if it is documented not to
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:00:42 +0100

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

tags 8407 + patch
close 8407
thanks

Reference:

  <http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=8407>

I've applied the attached patch to maint, and I'm thus closing this bug
report.

Regards, and thanks for the patience,
  Stefano

[0001-docs-aclocal-install-I-abs-dir-actually-copies-files.patch (text/x-diff, attachment)]

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