GNU bug report logs - #77395
"error: too many loops" with Automake 1.17

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

From: Sebastian Pipping <sebastian <at> pipping.org>
To: bug-automake <at> gnu.org
Subject: "error: too many loops" with Automake 1.17
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:57:12 +0200

Hi!


I saw output…

  aclocal-1.17: error: too many loops
  aclocal-1.17: Please contact <bug-automake <at> gnu.org>.
   at /usr/share/automake-1.17/Automake/Channels.pm line 658.
          Automake::Channels::msg("automake", "", "too many loops") 
called at /usr/share/automake-1.17/Automake/ChannelDefs.pm line 230
          Automake::ChannelDefs::prog_error("too many loops") called at 
/usr/bin/aclocal-1.17 line 1227
  autoreconf-2.72: error: aclocal failed with exit status: 255

…earlier today and want to do as asked: Please contact 
<bug-automake <at> gnu.org>.
The full reproducer is this:

  cd "$(mktemp -d)"
  git clone --depth 1 --branch 0.4.x 
https://github.com/Libvisual/libvisual/
  cd libvisual/libvisual-plugins
  ./autogen.sh

So far running "./autogen.sh" twice a la…

  ./autogen.sh || ./autogen.sh

…worked around the issue, but it's not a fix.  Is this issue known?
Any ideas for a true fix?

Best



Sebastian

Message #8 received at 77395 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Karl Berry <karl <at> freefriends.org>
To: sebastian <at> pipping.org
Cc: 77395 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#77395: "error: too many loops" with Automake 1.17
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:06:14 -0600

        at /usr/share/automake-1.17/Automake/Channels.pm line 658.
               Automake::Channels::msg("automake", "", "too many loops") 

Thanks for the report.

    The full reproducer is this:

Thanks.

    Is this issue known?

It was also reported for current Alpine, but not in a way I could
reproduce it.  https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=75605

Two other bug reports in the past years: 47848 and 49901.

In these cases, it was related to older macros in the package tree
overwriting newer macros found elsewhere, or redefining Autoconf
macros. You might read through 49901, which sounds likely to be the same
problem, with some fixes and references.

Of course it would be better for Automake to give a comprehensible error
message, but that might be tough to do.

    Any ideas for a true fix?

We'll have to look.

Bogdan or Nick or anyone -- if you have time to look into this, that
would be great. It will be at least a couple of weeks before I have a
chance. --thanks again, karl.

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