source: chapter06/autoconf.xml@ 8f97096

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<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN" "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
  %general-entities;
]>
<sect1 id="ch-system-autoconf" role="wrap">
<title>Autoconf-&autoconf-version;</title>
<?dbhtml filename="autoconf.html"?>

<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf"><primary sortas="a-Autoconf">Autoconf</primary></indexterm>

<sect2 role="package"><title/>
<para>The Autoconf package contains programs for producing shell scripts that
can automatically configure source code.</para>

<segmentedlist>
<segtitle>&buildtime;</segtitle>
<segtitle>&diskspace;</segtitle>
<seglistitem><seg>0.5 SBU</seg><seg>7.7 MB</seg></seglistitem>
</segmentedlist>

<segmentedlist>
<segtitle>Autoconf installation depends on</segtitle>
<seglistitem><seg>Bash, Coreutils, Diffutils, Grep,
M4, Make, Perl, and Sed</seg></seglistitem>
</segmentedlist>
</sect2>

<sect2 role="installation">
<title>Installation of Autoconf</title>

<para>Prepare Autoconf for compilation:</para>

<screen><userinput>./configure --prefix=/usr</userinput></screen>

<para>Compile the package:</para>

<screen><userinput>make</userinput></screen>

<para>To test the results, issue:
<userinput>make check</userinput>. This takes a long time, about 2 SBUs.</para>

<para>Install the package:</para>

<screen><userinput>make install</userinput></screen>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="contents-autoconf" role="content"><title>Contents of Autoconf</title>

<segmentedlist>
<segtitle>Installed programs</segtitle>
<seglistitem><seg>autoconf, autoheader, autom4te,
autoreconf, autoscan, autoupdate, and ifnames</seg></seglistitem>
</segmentedlist>

<variablelist><bridgehead renderas="sect3">Short Descriptions</bridgehead>
<?dbfo list-presentation="list"?>
<?dbhtml list-presentation="table"?>

<varlistentry id="autoconf">
<term><command>autoconf</command></term>
<listitem>
<para>Produces shell scripts that automatically
configure software source code packages to adapt to many kinds of
Unix-like systems. The configuration scripts it produces are
independent&mdash;running them does not require the <command>autoconf</command> program.</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autoconf"><primary sortas="b-autoconf">autoconf</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="autoheader">
<term><command>autoheader</command> </term>
<listitem>
<para>A tool for creating template files of C
<emphasis>#define</emphasis> statements for configure to use</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autoheader"><primary sortas="b-autoheader">autoheader</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="autom4te">
<term><command>autom4te</command></term>
<listitem>
<para>A wrapper for the M4 macro processor</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autom4te"><primary sortas="b-autom4te">autom4te</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="autoreconf">
<term><command>autoreconf</command></term>
<listitem>
<para>Automatically runs <command>autoconf</command>,
<command>autoheader</command>, <command>aclocal</command>,
<command>automake</command>, <command>gettextize</command>, and
<command>libtoolize</command> in the correct order to save time
when changes are made to <command>autoconf</command> and 
<command>automake</command> template files</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autoreconf"><primary sortas="b-autoreconf">autoreconf</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="autoscan">
<term><command>autoscan</command> </term>
<listitem>
<para>Helps to create a <filename>configure.in</filename> file for a
software package; it examines the source files in a directory tree,
searching them for common portability issues, and creates a
<filename>configure.scan</filename> file that serves as as a
preliminary <filename>configure.in</filename> file for the
package</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autoscan"><primary sortas="b-autoscan">autoscan</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="autoupdate">
<term><command>autoupdate</command></term>
<listitem>
<para>Modifies a <filename>configure.in</filename> file that still
calls <command>autoconf</command> macros by their old names to use the 
current macro names</para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf autoupdate"><primary sortas="b-autoupdate">autoupdate</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry id="ifnames">
<term><command>ifnames</command> </term>
<listitem>
<para>Helps when writing <filename>configure.in</filename> files
for a software package; it prints the identifiers that the package
uses in C preprocessor conditionals. If a package has already been set
up to have some portability, this program can help determine what
<command>configure</command> needs to check for. It can also fill in
gaps in a <filename>configure.in</filename> file generated by
<command>autoscan</command></para>
<indexterm zone="ch-system-autoconf ifnames"><primary sortas="b-ifnames">ifnames</primary></indexterm>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

</sect2>

</sect1>