Re: Autoconf/Automake is not using version from AC_INIT

[Bob Friesenhahn]

On Sun, 24 Jan 2021, Zack Weinberg wrote:

> On Sun, Jan 24, 2021 at 7:27 PM Bob Friesenhahn
> <bfriesen@simple.dallas.tx.us> wrote:
> > AC_SUBST([CONFIGURE_DEPENDENCIES],["$CONFIGURE_DEPENDENCIES \$(top_srcdir)/ChangeLog 
> > \$(top_srcdir)/version.sh"])
>
> Why did you write it like this instead of
>
> CONFIGURE_DEPENDENCIES = $(top_srcdir)/ChangeLog $(top_srcdir)/version.sh

It appears that I followed the Automake documentation which still says 
to use the approach I used:

https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/html_node/Rebuilding.html

Notice this documentation appears to be patterned on what 
GraphicsMagick has been doing (or vice-versa) and the documentation 
now suggests providing version info via a 'version.m4' file.  It is 
not clear how this can help unless the version.m4 itself is modified. 
If the version.m4 invoked an external script then it seems it would 
not help.

> (Also, I thought having configure not be updated when the information
> provided to AC_INIT has not changed was what you wanted to happen!)

It is good if each each 'make' cycle reaches a terminal conclusion and 
assures that all targets are successfully concluded.  Even if the 
content of a target is not changed, its timestamp should be updated so 
that make is happy.

Bob
--
Bob Friesenhahn
bfriesen@simple.dallas.tx.us, http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/
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