GNU bug report logs - #11030
should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of $(pkgdatadir) by "make install"?

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Bruno Haible <bruno <at> clisp.org>
Cc: Ralf Wildenhues <Ralf.Wildenhues <at> gmx.de>, bug-automake <at> gnu.org,
	Automake List <automake <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of $(pkgdatadir)
	by "make install"?
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:04:51 +0100

Hi Bruno, sorry for the delay, thanks for your detailed reply.

On 03/13/2012 05:47 PM, Bruno Haible wrote:
> [Dropping bug-gnulib from CC.]
>
And now adding bug-automake.

References:

  Original thread on bug-gnulib:
  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gnulib/2012-03/msg00078.html>

  Follow-up on the automake list:
  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2012-03/msg00014.html>

  A related issue:
  <http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=10997>


> Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>> So we're in a sort of a tie here: some users think that the current Automake
>> behaviour is a feature (and I lean toward that position), other ones (with
>> Ralf among them, apparently) believe it's a bug.  Hmmm.
> 
> The most important question in such a situation is: Can users who wish to
> have the opposite behaviour get it?
> 
> If the answer to this question is yes, then: What are the use-cases of these
> two behaviours? Are they sound? How many users do they affect?
> 
> About the first question:
> 
>   * If Automake does not create an empty directory by default, can users
>     get it created?
> 
>     Answer: Yes, they write a rule like this:
> 
>         installdirs-local:
>                 $(mkdir_p) $(DESTDIR)$(pkgdatadir)
>
Right, with the nit s/$(mkdir_p)/$(MKDIR_P)/ (the former variable has been
long-deprecated, and will be removed in automake 1.13).

>   * If Automake does create an empty directory by default, can users avoid
>     it?
> 
>     Answer: For users who generate their Makefile.am (like gnulib-tool), yes.
>     For users who use constructs like
> 
>         pkgdata_DATA =
>         if WINDOWS
>         pkgdata_DATA += documentation.chm
>         endif
>         if MACOS
>         pkgdata_DATA += bundle.nib
>         endif
> 
>     what is the answer? Can they write
> 
>         if WINDOWS || MACOS
>
Note that automake conditionals don't support conjunction nor disjunction ...

>         pkgdata_DATA =
>         if WINDOWS
>         pkgdata_DATA += documentation.chm
>         endif
>         if MACOS
>         pkgdata_DATA += bundle.nib
>         endif
>         endif
> 
>     Does this have the effect of avoiding an empty directory?
>
... so this idiom wouldn't even work :-(

And sadly, we have a much worse bug anyway, i.e., even this:

  if FALSE
  pkgdata_DATA = foo
  endif

will end up creating $(pkgdata)!  Issue already reported as bug#10997,
and already exposed in the testsuite (see 'instdir-cond.test').

>         pkgdata_DATA =
>         if WINDOWS
>         pkgdata_DATA += documentation.chm
>         endif
>         if MACOS
>         pkgdata_DATA += bundle.nib
>         endif
>         endif

> Second question:
> 
>   * Who needs to avoid an empty installation directory?
> 
>     I think, everyone who installs files conditionally. Can be many packages.
>
Makes sense, once s/needs to/might need to/.

>   * Who needs to create an empty installation directory?
> 
>     Hmm?
>
I must admit this is not a common requirement ...  Automake did this for a brief
time (now that it requires the system acdir to be existent), but the fact that we
were creating an *empty* directory kept bugging me so much that I ended up adding
a README file into it anyway ...

> Please fill in the remaining answers; I could only come up with partial
> answers.
> 
> Bruno
> 
You have convinced me that this behaviour is more a bug than a feature.

And since we have already seen some bug fixes in maint after 1.11.3, a fix for
this issue might warrant a 1.11.4 release ...

Regards,
  Stefano

Message #8 received at 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Bruno Haible <bruno <at> clisp.org>
Cc: 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	"automake-patches <at> gnu.org" <automake-patches <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: bug#11030: should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of
	$(pkgdatadir) by "make install"?
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:16:15 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

[dropping automake, adding automake-patches]

On 03/16/2012 11:04 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>
> You have convinced me that this behaviour is more a bug than a feature.
> 
And here is a patch (for maint) that should settle the issue.  I will push by
tomorrow if there is no objection.

Regards,
  Stefano

[0001-install-don-t-create-empty-dirs-when-an-empty-foo_PR.patch (text/x-diff, attachment)]

Message #11 received at 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Bruno Haible <bruno <at> clisp.org>
Cc: 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	"automake-patches <at> gnu.org" <automake-patches <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: bug#11030: should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of
	$(pkgdatadir) by "make install"?
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:03:02 +0100

On 03/17/2012 06:16 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> [dropping automake, adding automake-patches]
> 
> On 03/16/2012 11:04 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>>
>> You have convinced me that this behaviour is more a bug than a feature.
>>
> And here is a patch (for maint) that should settle the issue.  I will push by
> tomorrow if there is no objection.
>
And consider the hunk below squashed in.

Regards,
  Stefano

diff --git a/HACKING b/HACKING
index 5420fbc..8b5cdb9 100644
--- a/HACKING
+++ b/HACKING
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@
   "important" command it runs.  The printed commands should be preceded
   by a single space.

+* Ensure install rules do not create any installation directory where
+  nothing is to be actually installed.  See automake bug#11030.
+
 ================================================================
 = Editing automake.in and aclocal.in

Message #14 received at 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Bruno Haible <bruno <at> clisp.org>
Cc: 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	"automake-patches <at> gnu.org" <automake-patches <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Re: bug#11030: should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of
	$(pkgdatadir) by "make install"?
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:19:53 +0100

tags 11030 + patch
close 11030
thanks

On 03/18/2012 08:03 AM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>
>> On 03/16/2012 11:04 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>>>
>>> You have convinced me that this behaviour is more a bug than a feature.
>>>
>> And here is a patch (for maint) that should settle the issue.  I will push by
>> tomorrow if there is no objection.
>>
Patch pushed now.  I'm thus closing this bug report.

Regards,
  Stefano

Message #21 received at 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini <at> gmail.com>
To: Bruno Haible <bruno <at> clisp.org>
Cc: 11030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	"automake-patches <at> gnu.org" <automake-patches <at> gnu.org>
Subject: [FYI] {maint} install-mans: avoid spurious failure with NetBSD make
	(was: Re: bug#11030: should an empty "pkgdata_DATA" cause creation of
	$(pkgdatadir) by "make install"?)
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:34:03 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 03/18/2012 08:19 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
> tags 11030 + patch
> close 11030
> thanks
> 
> On 03/18/2012 08:03 AM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>>
>>> On 03/16/2012 11:04 PM, Stefano Lattarini wrote:
>>>>
>>>> You have convinced me that this behaviour is more a bug than a feature.
>>>>
>>> And here is a patch (for maint) that should settle the issue.  I will push by
>>> tomorrow if there is no objection.
>>>
> Patch pushed now.  I'm thus closing this bug report.
> 
The change introduced some new issues with NetBSD make when installing manpages.
The attached follow-up (already applied to maint and merged into branch-1.11)
fixes that.

Sorry for the noise,
  Stefano

[0001-install-mans-avoid-spurious-failure-with-NetBSD-make.patch (text/x-diff, attachment)]

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