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(autoconf.info)Reporting Messages

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Reporting Messages
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   When macros statically diagnose abnormal situations, benign or fatal,
they should report them using these macros.  For dynamic issues, i.e.,
when `configure' is run, see Note: Printing Messages.

 - Macro: AC_DIAGNOSE (CATEGORY, MESSAGE)
     Report MESSAGE as a warning (or as an error if requested by the
     user) if it falls into the CATEGORY.  You are encouraged to use
     standard categories, which currently include:

    `all'
          messages that don't fall into one of the following category.
          Use of an empty CATEGORY is equivalent.

    `cross'
          related to cross compilation issues.

    `obsolete'
          use of an obsolete construct.

    `syntax'
          dubious syntactic constructs, incorrectly ordered macro calls.

 - Macro: AC_WARNING (MESSAGE)
     Equivalent to `AC_DIAGNOSE([syntax], MESSAGE)', but you are
     strongly encouraged to use a finer grained category.

 - Macro: AC_FATAL (MESSAGE)
     Report a severe error MESSAGE, and have `autoconf' die.

   When the user runs `autoconf -W error', warnings from `AC_DIAGNOSE'
and `AC_WARNING' are reported as error, see Note: autoconf Invocation.