Re: automake/338: AM_GNU_GETTEXT([external]) support

[Charles Wilson]

Alexandre Duret-Lutz wrote:

> > > > "Chuck" == Charles Wilson <address@hidden> writes:
>
> [...]
>
>  Chuck> If you happen to be using this patch:
>  Chuck> http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/automake-patches/2002-May/000787.html
>  Chuck> or, more generally, have automake installed somewhere other than under
>  Chuck> /usr/*, then this test in "<topdir>/tests/defs" will fail to find
>  Chuck> gettext.m4:
>
> These are two different things.
>
> 1. Tests that require `libtool' or `gettext' implicitely require an
>    installed Automake in $PATH (so that `aclocal --print-ac-dir'
>    works), but it can be installed where you want.  I don't
>    understand your comment about /usr/*.


Sorry, it wasn't clear.  Suppose $PATH includes /usr/bin and 
/opt/autotools/bin.   Suppose that I have configured and built all of 
the autotools with --prefix=/opt/autotools/.  Suppose further than I 
have configured and built gettext with --prefix=/usr.

In that case, even without my patch, `aclocal --print-ac-dir' is not 
enough to locate /usr/share/aclocal/gettext.m4.

Of course, in that particular case, aclocal won't automatically find 
gettext.m4 during normal operation either -- forget finding it during 
the tests! -- unless I call aclocal with -I/usr/share/aclocal.

But, as I said, this behavior by tests/defs is *by design* -- if you 
read the comments in tests/defs.


> 2. With your patch, `aclocal --print-ac-dir' is not enough to
>    locate a third-party m4 file.


The only point here is that WITH my patch, GIVEN the above scenario, I 
could create a file "/opt/autotools/share/aclocal-1.6/dirlist" 
containing a single line: "/usr/share/aclocal".  Then, aclocal would 
automatically find /usr/share/aclocal/gettext.m4 without the need for 
-I/usr/share/aclocal -- but the test in tests/defs would still fail to 
find it.

The real question here is, IF my patch is included, then should 
tests/defs also be extended to use the dirlist paths?  But, since my 
patch is not part of the official tree, it's not really something you 
guys need to worry about -- unless my patch is accepted.

I was simply pointing out that given the standard cygwin configuration, 
I needed to make an additional modification to the automake sources in 
order to pass your two new gettext*.tests.  I'm not suggesting that 
automake needs to include that change which I found necessary *on 
cygwin* --- unless my dirlist patch is accepted, in which case the 
question posed in the previous paragraph needs an answer...

--Chuck