Fri 16 Mar 2012 05:23:10 AM UTC, original submission:
The key input to autoconf is "configure.ac", but "obviously wrong" configure.ac files just sail through. This is bad, especially for people just starting to learn autoconf, because a simple typo can produce mysterious-to-them results. Autoconf should detect at least some "obviously wrong" situations, like any other compiler, and complain specifically about problems so they can be fixed quickly instead of debugged.
1. autoconf should fail loudly if either AC_INIT or AC_OUTPUT are missing, and specifically say "AC_INIT missing" and/or "AC_OUTPUT missing".
2. If AC_INIT's first parameter contains any whitespace, it should at least warn. A common beginner mistake is to think that whitespace is irrelevant in m4, e.g.:
AC_INIT( hello , 0.01 )
but the trailing whitespace is actually part of the parameter. If there is no first parameter (or it's empty), that should probably emit a warning.
3. If there are some other places where beginners are likely to make a mistake (e.g., whitespace at the end that would probably cause a problem), autoconf should detect it and either warn or error out.
This would make autoconf easier to work with, since problems would be immediately and specifically identified, instead of having to debug them.
Thank you!
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