Re: How to specify /var/lib in autoconf?

[Russell Shaw]

David Bruce wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm about to start modifying my program (Tux Typing) so as to allow
> creation of custom word lists.  The gist is that I need to have
> modifiable files that are visible to all users.  I have been told by
> knowledgable people that the appropriate location for these files
> would be /var/lib/tuxtype, similar to where databases place their
> files. (I presume /var/lib/tuxtype is correct if prefix is /usr, but
> it would be /var/local/tuxtype with the default prefix /usr/local?).
>
> Anyway, how do I specify this in an autotools-based program?  The
> closest predefined variable seems to be "localstatedir", but the
> autoconf manual says it is "$prefix/var."  My Debian system doesn't
> have either "/usr/var" or "/usr/local/var".  Any suggestions?

If you want to refer to the path in C code as a macro "LOCALSTATEDIR",
you have in Makefile.am:

  AM_CPPFLAGS = -DLOCALSTATEDIR=\"$(pkglocalstatedir)\"

Also in Makefile.am, you need this to install data:

  dist_pkglocalstate_DATA = <path_to_tux_state_data>


If there's no data to install but you just need the directory created,
i think you need:

  install-data-hook:
    $(install_sh) -d -m 755 $(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)

  uninstall-hook:
    rm -rf $(DESTDIR)$(pkglocalstatedir)


Autoconf stuff is all too vague to figure out from the manual. A lot
of things are figured out by the errors given by "make distcheck",
and looking through the generated Makefile.in and Makefile.