Re: Grouping header files during build

[Russell Shaw]

Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> Hi Russell,
>
> * Russell Shaw wrote on Wed, Feb 22, 2006 at 04:33:40PM CET:
>
> > Hi,
> > I have a build tree consisting of various programs and libraries, all
> > in separate subdirectories. The programs are built using these libraries.
> > Both programs and libraries get installed.
>
> Do you use libtool to create the libraries?

yes

> > When each library is built, i want to copy its header to a header-directory
> > and its object to a library-directory in the buildtree so that the programs
> > that get built later can include it using the gcc -I and -L options.
>
> Why do you want to do that (honest question)?
> If you have a build tree like this:
>   build
>   `-  lib1
>   `-  lib2
>   `-  prog1
>
> you can use `-L../lib1 -llib1 -L../lib2 -llib2' for linking, or, if
> using libtool, `../lib1/liblib1.la ../lib2/liblib2.la'.

It doesn't matter so much for library objects, but source files have things
like #include X11/extensions/... and i didn't want to modify those, because
they can also be compiled stand-alone on the host, and so need those headers
in those locations.

> > So, what is the recommended way in Makefile.am to copy a library header and
> > object to another directory after a library is built?
>
> If using libtool: that is not provided and supported.  The Libtool model
> is that you have one uninstalled location and one installed location of
> libraries.  It is not easy to loosen this restriction portably.
>
> > Finally, could i also get the central library header directory and object
> > directory installed in the distribution?
>
> Well, you can use `cp' to copy around stuff, but it would really help to
> know the problem to be solved from a higher-level standpoint.  We may be 
> able to point out a different solution.

I was trying to make a different (top-down) build system for the Xorg tree.
Most of the source relies on headers being layed out as they are in
/usr/include/X11, so i wanted a layout like that used during "make" in
the project tree before installing. I could permanently copy all the headers
to those locations maybe.