Re: info_TEXINFOS should not assume source file exists

[Stepan Kasal]

Hello Noah and Ralf,

On Wed, May 09, 2007 at 10:01:04AM +0200, Ralf Wildenhues wrote:
> Well, yes, automake needs to know about @setfilename to infer the info
> file name, whether you include a `version.texi' file, and similar
> things.

yes, Automake is currently written that way.  But it presents a
significant incompatibility when the texinfo file is not the primary
source and is generated from another primary format.

> I think you may be able to get around this using nodist_info_TEXINFOS

It seems that current automake does not recognize this variable at
all.  You might use Pooh_likes_HONEY as well!  

> [...] If you still want foo.texi (and maybe also the info file)
> distributed (and thus generated in the source tree), then I suggest that
> you add it/them (and all its prerequisites) to EXTRA_DIST, but it sounds
> like you don't (and thus require the users of your package to have
> texinfo installed).

I'm afraid the situation is slightly different: the texinfo file and
the info are distributed (= included into the generated tarball), and
Automake has no option to make them non-distributed.
I cannot imagine an easy workaround for this, but I believe that
having them distributed is not that big problem.

The fact that *.texi file has to exist before automake is called _is_
a problem, OTOH.

> > As "foo.texi" is generated by a rule in my Makefile I have to have my
> > bootstrap script touch the "foo.texi" file and then cat some content
> > in to it to fool automake.
> 
> That does not sound like a good idea.

I share Ralf's feelings, but I do not see many options here:
 - you may generate a *.texi stub, as you suggest
 - you may compute foo.texi is from foo.dbk in bthe bootstrap script
 - or you may refrain from using info_TEXINFOS and put the rules to
   Makefile.am

The last option is the most laborous, but it's the only one which
enables you to not distribute the .texi and .info files.

A remark at the end:
When you inspect automake.in (the source for /usr/bin/automake), you
find out that the _TEXINFOS primary is not handled by the same code
as other primaries in the general dir_PRIMARY scheme.  This is why
variables like nodist_info_TEXINFOS or infoo_TEXINFOS (a typo) are
cowardly silently ignored!  (Likewise with the MANS primary.)
You also find out that the source code contains a long comment
discussing the possibilties of implementing non-distributed *.info
files, which is part of your problem.

Hope my answer does not add to much confusion...

Stepan