GNU Info

Info Node: (automake.info)Dist

(automake.info)Dist


Next: Tests Prev: Clean Up: Top
Enter node , (file) or (file)node

What Goes in a Distribution
***************************

   The `dist' target in the generated `Makefile.in' can be used to
generate a gzip'd `tar' file for distribution.  The tar file is named
based on the `PACKAGE' and `VERSION' variables; more precisely it is
named `PACKAGE-VERSION.tar.gz'.  You can use the `make' variable
`GZIP_ENV' to control how gzip is run.  The default setting is `--best'.

   For the most part, the files to distribute are automatically found by
Automake: all source files are automatically included in a distribution,
as are all `Makefile.am's and `Makefile.in's.  Automake also has a
built-in list of commonly used files which, if present in the current
directory, are automatically included.  This list is printed by
`automake --help'.  Also, files which are read by `configure' (i.e. the
source files corresponding to the files specified in the `AC_OUTPUT'
invocation) are automatically distributed.

   Still, sometimes there are files which must be distributed, but which
are not covered in the automatic rules.  These files should be listed in
the `EXTRA_DIST' variable.  You can mention files from subdirectories
in `EXTRA_DIST'.  You can also mention a directory there; in this case
the entire directory will be recursively copied into the distribution.

   If you define `SUBDIRS', Automake will recursively include the
subdirectories in the distribution.  If `SUBDIRS' is defined
conditionally (Note: Conditionals), Automake will normally include all
directories that could possibly appear in `SUBDIRS' in the
distribution.  If you need to specify the set of directories
conditionally, you can set the variable `DIST_SUBDIRS' to the exact
list of subdirectories to include in the distribution.

   Occasionally it is useful to be able to change the distribution
before it is packaged up.  If the `dist-hook' target exists, it is run
after the distribution directory is filled, but before the actual tar
(or shar) file is created.  One way to use this is for distributing
files in subdirectories for which a new `Makefile.am' is overkill:

     dist-hook:
             mkdir $(distdir)/random
             cp -p $(srcdir)/random/a1 $(srcdir)/random/a2 $(distdir)/random

   Automake also generates a `distcheck' target which can be help to
ensure that a given distribution will actually work.  `distcheck' makes
a distribution, and then tries to do a `VPATH' build.


automatically generated by info2www version 1.2.2.9