GNU Autotools - Tyler Cipriani

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Links ¶

https://robots.thoughtbot.com/the-magic-behind-configure-make-make-install

`configure.ac` ¶

Written in m4sh (m4 + shell)
Program initialization: AC_INIT macro—needs name, version, maintainer
Initialize automake: AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
Make sure that C-compiler exists: AC_PROG_CC
Build Makefile from Makefile.in, replaces @PACKAGE_VERSION@-type variables: AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
Output the script: AC_OUTPUT

AC_INIT([hello-world], [0.1], [tyler@tylercipriani.com])

# Initialize automake
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE

# Ensure C-compiler exists
AC_PROG_CC

# Specify what files are to be created
AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile])
AC_OUTPUT

`Makefile.am` ¶

The ./configure script (created by configure.ac), expects to find Makefile.in
Makefile.in is long and dumb (just like ./configure), so we make a Makefile.am
automake generates Makefile.in
foreign AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS tells that the layout is "non standard"

AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
bin_PROGRAMS = hello-world
hello-world_SOURCES = hello-world.c

Put it all together: ¶

create m4 environment: aclocal
autoconf does: configure.ac → configure
automake --add-missing does: Makefile.am → Makefile.in
autoreconf --install: autoreconf runs autoconf, autoheader, aclocal, automake, libtoolize, and autopoint