[gnuastro-devel] [bug #47821] bootstrap crashes with no --gnulib-srcdir

[Mohammad Akhlaghi]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?47821>

                 Summary: bootstrap crashes with no --gnulib-srcdir
                 Project: GNU Astronomy Utilities
            Submitted by: makhlaghi
            Submitted on: Mon 02 May 2016 01:36:11 PM JST
                Category: Development
                Severity: 4 - Important
              Item Group: Crash
                  Status: Confirmed
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any

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Details:

By default (with the default boostrap.conf file), bootstrap will run with no
options and clone the full Gnulib repository (all its current files and its
version controlled history) into the gnuastro/gnulib directory.

However, in bootstrap.conf, we have specified the build_aux variable
(directory keeping the build_aux files) to be: gnulib/build_aux (similar to
the source_base and tests_base) directories (which are all in
gnuastro/gnulib/). This is done to keep things in the top directory clean of
redundant directories (directories that have not been made by us). If
build_aux is in the top directory, it is not immediately clear that it is
imported from Gnulib, which I consider to be a problem.

The bootstrap script makes the build_aux directory very early in the process
using `mkdir $build_aux'. By default it is not a subdirectory, so there is no
problem, in the case above, (where build_aux=/gnulib/build_aux), mkdir will
complain (since it needs the GNU-specific `-p' option). To avoid this problem,
in bootstrap.conf, we have added a short line:


if [ ! -d gnulib ]; then mkdir gnulib; fi


This conflicts with bootstrap's checking for Gnulib's existance in the top
directory! Since it does not attempt to clone Gnulib any more and directly
goes onto running gnulib-tool (which is not found). So it complains with:


./bootstrap: line 690: gnulib/gnulib-tool: No such file or directory


One solution might be to get in touch with Gnulib and ask them to use a
different check (instead of the directory name) for Gnulib, for example to
look inside it and see if a `.git' repository exists, or look for some
standard Gnulib file (maybe README, or NEWS for example). In this way the
problem will be solved.

However, in general, I feel that having two repositories within each other
(Gnulib with Gnuastro, which happens when you run ./bootstrap with no option).
Is not the ideal clean structure a developer would like to have. Gnulib is a
separte package/library and Gnuastro only needs to have the parts of it that
it needs. But it would be great if this issue is fixed so those who (for any
reason) want this structure, can have it.




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