Re: Running a plain ./config.status at top level

[Alexandre Duret-Lutz <duret_g at lrde dot epita dot fr>]

Hi Akim,

>>> "Akim" == Akim Demaille <akim at epita dot fr> writes:

[...]

 Akim> The idea is that we should probably run plain ./config.status at the
 Akim> top level update of Makefile.

Tom attempted to fix PR/46 (subdir5.test) with a similar patch last year.

http://mail.gnu.org/archive/html/automake-patches/2002-07/msg00065.html

The above thread lists a few drawbacks.  I think the most
important one (besides not really fixing PR/46) is that always
running a plain ./config.status when $(top_srcdir)/Makefile.in
changes can take _minutes_ in a very large project, when only
_one_ file really has to be rebuilt (the top-level Makefile).

I think running a plain `./config.status' makes sense only when
`config.status' has changed.  Perhaps we should start playing
with `$?'.  If `config.status' appears in `$?', then run it
without argument, otherwise run it only for the current
directory.  Does it seem sensible?  I guess this scheme could be
done in _all_ directories, not only the top-level.  Maybe this
would also fix PR/46 (I haven't thought about that much).
-- 
Alexandre Duret-Lutz