Re: ensure that generated files are read-only

[Paul Eggert]

Jim Meyering <address@hidden> writes:

> aren't the warning and possible annoyance at least a little more
> appropriate for the build-generated files whose rules I was proposing
> to change in gnulib?

I suppose so, yes.

Isn't this a generic problem that has been around for years?
For example, Bison (which I happen to be looking at right now)
generates .c files from .y files, and people might edit the .c files.
The first line of a Bison-generated C file looks like this:

   /* A Bison parser, made by GNU Bison 2.3a.  */

but there's no magic to scare off Emacs or vi users.

If I understand Bruno correctly, he wouldn't object to adding a
comment to the start of (say) the gnulib-generated stdint.h saying
that the file was generated automatically from stdint_.h.  That'd be
similar to the first line of the Bison-generated C parser.

But if I understand you correctly, you want something stronger, which
affects Emacs and/or vi, for generated files.

At least for Emacs, can we address this issue without changing the
comments of the generated files, by putting an index of "please don't
edit" files somewhere else?  Such a list could be visible only to
people who ask for this feature, or something like that.

Hmmm, I'm handwaving here to some extent, I'm afraid, but I'm afraid I
gotta run now....

PS.  For some reason I'm reminded of the last few lines of the GNU
project's master sendmail configuration file, which look like this:

   # local variables:
   # ...
   # eval: (message "Run away!")
   # eval: (message "Back away slowly...")
   # end: