On 2024-09-28 13:49, Gavin Smith wrote:
The text of INSTALL still uses "bootstrap" even though not all packages
use this file and there is no reason that they should.
Packages that don't need to bootstrap are fine, as the recommended
command won't try to run "bootstrap". The problem arises only when a
package needs bootstrapping and has a bootstrapping script that is not
named "bootstrap".
I installed the attached to the Autoconf documentation to try to lessen
the confusion.From f5f777d61b373213ace347f8b6422c35b6ebf4a0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Paul Eggert <eggert@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:27:16 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Mention autogen.sh sooner in doc
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
* doc/install.texi (Basic Installation):
Be more explicit about bootstrapping scripts
not named ‘bootstrap’. Problem reported by Gavin Smith in:
https://lists.gnu.org/r/autoconf/2024-09/msg00003.html
---
doc/install.texi | 20 ++++++++++++--------
1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
diff --git a/doc/install.texi b/doc/install.texi
index e8aa67d7..6e18efb9 100644
--- a/doc/install.texi
+++ b/doc/install.texi
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ make install
should configure, build, and install this package.
The first line, which bootstraps, is intended for developers;
when building from distribution tarballs it does nothing and can be skipped.
+A package might name the bootstrapping script differently;
+if the name is @file{autogen.sh}, for example, the first line should say
+@command{./autogen.sh} instead of @command{./bootstrap}.
The following
more-detailed instructions are generic; see the @file{README} file for
@@ -42,21 +45,21 @@ the GNU Coding Standards.
Many packages have scripts meant for developers instead of ordinary
builders, as they may use developer tools that are less commonly installed,
or they may access the network, which has privacy implications.
-If the @command{bootstrap} shell script exists, it attempts to build the
-@command{configure} shell script and related files, possibly
+These scripts attempt to bootstrap by building the
+@command{configure} script and related files, possibly
using developer tools or the network. Because the output of
-@command{bootstrap} is system-independent, it is normally run by a
+bootstrapping is system-independent, it is normally run by a
package developer so that its output can be put into the distribution
-tarball and ordinary builders and users need not run @command{bootstrap}.
+tarball and ordinary builders and users need not bootstrap.
Some packages have commands like @command{./autopull.sh} and
@command{./autogen.sh} that you can run instead of @command{./bootstrap},
for more fine-grained control over bootstrapping.
-The @command{configure} shell script attempts to guess correct values
+The @command{configure} script attempts to guess correct values
for various system-dependent variables used during compilation. It uses
those values to create a @file{Makefile} in each directory of the
package. It may also create one or more @file{.h} files containing
-system-dependent definitions. Finally, it creates a shell script
+system-dependent definitions. Finally, it creates a script
@file{config.status} that you can run in the future to recreate the
current configuration, and a file @file{config.log} containing
output useful for debugging @command{configure}.
@@ -85,8 +88,9 @@ The simplest way to compile this package is:
@command{cd} to the directory containing the package's source code.
@item
-If this is a developer checkout and file @samp{configure} does not yet exist,
-type @samp{./bootstrap} to create it.
+If this is a developer checkout and file @file{configure} does not yet exist,
+run the bootstrapping script (typically @command{./bootstrap} or
+@command{./autogen.sh}) to bootstrap and create the file.
You may need special developer tools and network access to bootstrap,
and the network access may have privacy implications.
--
2.43.0
