autom4te - Man Page
Generate files and scripts thanks to M4
Synopsis
autom4te [OPTION]... [FILES]
Description
Run GNU M4 on the FILES, avoiding useless runs. Output the traces if tracing, the frozen file if freezing, otherwise the expansion of the FILES.
If some of the FILES are named 'FILE.m4f' they are considered to be M4 frozen files of all the previous files (which are therefore not loaded). If 'FILE.m4f' is not found, then 'FILE.m4' will be used, together with all the previous files.
Some files may be optional, i.e., will only be processed if found in the include path, but then must end in '.m4?'; the question mark is not part of the actual file name.
Operation modes
- -h, --help
print this help, then exit
- -V, --version
print version number, then exit
- -v, --verbose
verbosely report processing
- -d, --debug
don't remove temporary files
- -o, --output=FILE
save output in FILE (defaults to '-', stdout)
- -f, --force
don't rely on cached values
- -W, --warnings=CATEGORY
report the warnings falling in CATEGORY (comma-separated list accepted)
- -l, --language=LANG
specify the set of M4 macros to use
- -C, --cache=DIRECTORY
preserve results for future runs in DIRECTORY
- --no-cache
disable the cache
- -m, --mode=OCTAL
change the non trace output file mode (0666)
- -M, --melt
don't use M4 frozen files
Languages include
- 'Autoconf'
create Autoconf configure scripts
- 'Autotest'
create Autotest test suites
- 'M4sh'
create M4sh shell scripts
- 'M4sugar'
create M4sugar output
Warning categories are
- cross
cross compilation issues
- gnu
GNU coding standards (default in gnu and gnits modes)
- obsolete
obsolete features or constructions (default)
- override
user redefinitions of Automake rules or variables
- portability
portability issues (default in gnu and gnits modes)
- portability-recursive
nested Make variables (default with -Wportability)
- extra-portability
extra portability issues related to obscure tools
- syntax
dubious syntactic constructs (default)
- unsupported
unsupported or incomplete features (default)
-W also understands
- all
turn on all the warnings
- none
turn off all the warnings
- no-CATEGORY
turn off warnings in CATEGORY
- error
treat all enabled warnings as errors
The environment variables 'M4' and 'WARNINGS' are honored.
Library directories
- -B, --prepend-include=DIR
prepend directory DIR to search path
- -I, --include=DIR
append directory DIR to search path
Tracing
- -t, --trace=MACRO[:FORMAT]
report the MACRO invocations
- -p, --preselect=MACRO
prepare to trace MACRO in a future run
Freezing
- -F, --freeze
produce an M4 frozen state file for FILES
FORMAT defaults to '$f:$l:$n:$%', and can use the following escapes
- $$
literal $
- $f
file where macro was called
- $l
line where macro was called
- $d
nesting depth of macro call
- $n
name of the macro
- $NUM
argument NUM, unquoted and with newlines
- $SEP@
all arguments, with newlines, quoted, and separated by SEP
- $SEP*
all arguments, with newlines, unquoted, and separated by SEP
- $SEP%
all arguments, without newlines, unquoted, and separated by SEP
SEP can be empty for the default (comma for @ and *, colon for %), a single character for that character, or {STRING} to use a string.
Author
Written by Akim Demaille.
Reporting Bugs
Report bugs to bug-autoconf@gnu.org, or via Savannah: https://savannah.gnu.org/support/?group=autoconf.
Copyright
Copyright © 2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+/Autoconf: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, <https://gnu.org/licenses/exceptions.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
See Also
autoconf(1), automake(1), autoreconf(1), autoupdate(1), autoheader(1), autoscan(1), config.guess(1), config.sub(1), ifnames(1), libtool(1).
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