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(autoconf.info)External Software


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Working With External Software
==============================

   Some packages require, or can optionally use, other software packages
which are already installed.  The user can give `configure' command
line options to specify which such external software to use.  The
options have one of these forms:

     --with-PACKAGE[=ARG]
     --without-PACKAGE

   For example, `--with-gnu-ld' means work with the GNU linker instead
of some other linker.  `--with-x' means work with The X Window System.

   The user can give an argument by following the package name with `='
and the argument.  Giving an argument of `no' is for packages that are
used by default; it says to _not_ use the package.  An argument that is
neither `yes' nor `no' could include a name or number of a version of
the other package, to specify more precisely which other package this
program is supposed to work with.  If no argument is given, it defaults
to `yes'.  `--without-PACKAGE' is equivalent to `--with-PACKAGE=no'.

   `configure' scripts do not complain about `--with-PACKAGE' options
that they do not support.  This behavior permits configuring a source
tree containing multiple packages with a top-level `configure' script
when the packages support different options, without spurious error
messages about options that some of the packages support.  An
unfortunate side effect is that option spelling errors are not
diagnosed.  No better approach to this problem has been suggested so
far.

   For each external software package that may be used, `configure.in'
should call `AC_ARG_WITH' to detect whether the `configure' user asked
to use it.  Whether each package is used or not by default, and which
arguments are valid, is up to you.

 - Macro: AC_ARG_WITH (PACKAGE, HELP-STRING [, ACTION-IF-GIVEN [,
          ACTION-IF-NOT-GIVEN]])
     If the user gave `configure' the option `--with-PACKAGE' or
     `--without-PACKAGE', run shell commands ACTION-IF-GIVEN.  If
     neither option was given, run shell commands ACTION-IF-NOT-GIVEN.
     The name PACKAGE indicates another software package that this
     program should work with.  It should consist only of alphanumeric
     characters and dashes.

     The option's argument is available to the shell commands
     ACTION-IF-GIVEN in the shell variable `withval', which is actually
     just the value of the shell variable `with_PACKAGE', with any `-'
     characters changed into `_'.  You may use that variable instead,
     if you wish.

     The argument HELP-STRING is a description of the option which
     looks like this:
            --with-readline         support fancy command line editing

     HELP-STRING may be more than one line long, if more detail is
     needed.  Just make sure the columns line up in `configure --help'.
     Avoid tabs in the help string.  You'll need to enclose it in `['
     and `]' in order to produce the leading spaces.

 - Macro: AC_WITH (PACKAGE, ACTION-IF-GIVEN [, ACTION-IF-NOT-GIVEN])
     This is an obsolete version of `AC_ARG_WITH' that does not support
     providing a help string.


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