autoconf: Making configure Scripts
1
1 3 Making `configure' Scripts
1 ****************************
1
1 The configuration scripts that Autoconf produces are by convention
1 called `configure'. When run, `configure' creates several files,
1 replacing configuration parameters in them with appropriate values.
1 The files that `configure' creates are:
1
1 - one or more `Makefile' files, usually one in each subdirectory of
1 the package (⇒Makefile Substitutions);
1
1 - optionally, a C header file, the name of which is configurable,
1 containing `#define' directives (⇒Configuration Headers);
1
1 - a shell script called `config.status' that, when run, recreates
1 the files listed above (⇒config.status Invocation);
1
1 - an optional shell script normally called `config.cache' (created
1 when using `configure --config-cache') that saves the results of
1 running many of the tests (⇒Cache Files);
1
1 - a file called `config.log' containing any messages produced by
1 compilers, to help debugging if `configure' makes a mistake.
1
1 To create a `configure' script with Autoconf, you need to write an
1 Autoconf input file `configure.ac' (or `configure.in') and run
1 `autoconf' on it. If you write your own feature tests to supplement
1 those that come with Autoconf, you might also write files called
1 `aclocal.m4' and `acsite.m4'. If you use a C header file to contain
1 `#define' directives, you might also run `autoheader', and you can
1 distribute the generated file `config.h.in' with the package.
1
1 Here is a diagram showing how the files that can be used in
1 configuration are produced. Programs that are executed are suffixed by
1 `*'. Optional files are enclosed in square brackets (`[]').
1 `autoconf' and `autoheader' also read the installed Autoconf macro
1 files (by reading `autoconf.m4').
1
1 Files used in preparing a software package for distribution, when using
1 just Autoconf:
1 your source files --> [autoscan*] --> [configure.scan] --> configure.ac
1
1 configure.ac --.
1 | .------> autoconf* -----> configure
1 [aclocal.m4] --+---+
1 | `-----> [autoheader*] --> [config.h.in]
1 [acsite.m4] ---'
1
1 Makefile.in
1
1 Additionally, if you use Automake, the following additional productions
1 come into play:
1
1 [acinclude.m4] --.
1 |
1 [local macros] --+--> aclocal* --> aclocal.m4
1 |
1 configure.ac ----'
1
1 configure.ac --.
1 +--> automake* --> Makefile.in
1 Makefile.am ---'
1
1 Files used in configuring a software package:
1 .-------------> [config.cache]
1 configure* ------------+-------------> config.log
1 |
1 [config.h.in] -. v .-> [config.h] -.
1 +--> config.status* -+ +--> make*
1 Makefile.in ---' `-> Makefile ---'
1
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