3.5 Using autoreconf to Update configure Scripts

Installing the various components of the GNU Build System can be tedious: running autopoint for Gettext, automake for `Makefile.in' etc. in each directory. It may be needed either because some tools such as automake have been updated on your system, or because some of the sources such as `configure.ac' have been updated, or finally, simply in order to install the GNU Build System in a fresh tree.

autoreconf runs autoconf, autoheader, aclocal, automake, libtoolize, and autopoint (when appropriate) repeatedly to update the GNU Build System in the specified directories and their subdirectories (see section 4.11 Configuring Other Packages in Subdirectories). By default, it only remakes those files that are older than their sources.

If you install a new version of some tool, you can make autoreconf remake all of the files by giving it the `--force' option.

See section 4.7.4 Automatic Remaking, for `Makefile' rules to automatically remake configure scripts when their source files change. That method handles the timestamps of configuration header templates properly, but does not pass `--autoconf-dir=dir' or `--localdir=dir'.

autoreconf accepts the following options:

`--help'

`-h'

Print a summary of the command line options and exit.

`--version'

`-V'

Print the version number of Autoconf and exit.

`--verbose'

Print the name of each directory where autoreconf runs autoconf (and autoheader, if appropriate).

`--debug'

`-d'

Don't remove the temporary files.

`--force'

`-f'

Remake even `configure' scripts and configuration headers that are newer than their input files (`configure.ac' and, if present, `aclocal.m4').

`--install'

`-i'

Install the missing auxiliary files in the package. By default, files are copied; this can be changed with `--symlink'.

This option triggers calls to `automake --add-missing', `libtoolize', `autopoint', etc.

`--symlink'

`-s'

When used with `--install', install symbolic links to the missing auxiliary files instead of copying them.

`--make'

`-m'

When the directories were configured, update the configuration by running `./config.status --recheck && ./config.status', and then run `make'.

`--include=dir'

`-I dir'

Append dir to the include path. Multiple invocations accumulate.

`--prepend-include=dir'

`-B dir'

Prepend dir to the include path. Multiple invocations accumulate.

`--warnings=category'

`-W category'

Report the warnings related to category (which can actually be a comma separated list).

`cross'

related to cross compilation issues.

`obsolete'

report the uses of obsolete constructs.

`portability'

portability issues

`syntax'

dubious syntactic constructs.

`all'

report all the warnings

`none'

report none

`error'

treats warnings as errors

`no-category'

disable warnings falling into category

Warnings about `syntax' are enabled by default, and the environment variable WARNINGS, a comma separated list of categories, is honored. Passing `-W category' will actually behave as if you had passed `--warnings=syntax,$WARNINGS,category'. If you want to disable the defaults and WARNINGS, but (for example) enable the warnings about obsolete constructs, you would use `-W none,obsolete'.