AUTOCONF(1)

📦 version 2.69, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 AUTOCONF 💖

hii so you opened the manual for autoconf(1) — yeah, the User Commands one — and honestly? iconic. this little tool literally builds the configure scripts that make your whole build system go brrr. let me tell you everything, no gatekeeping, fr fr 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

autoconf — generate configuration scripts. that's it. that's the whole job. and it eats. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

autoconf [OPTION]... [TEMPLATE-FILE]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the tea: autoconf generates a configuration script from a TEMPLATE-FILE if you give it one, or from configure.ac if that file is present, or else from configure.in. literally it just checks in that order, bestie. 👑

where does the output go? if you passed a TEMPLATE-FILE, it goes to standard output. if you didn't, it goes into a file called configure. slay.

🎛️ Operation modes: 🎛️

  • -h, --help — prints the help text, then dips out. bye! 👋
  • -V, --version — prints the version number, then also dips out.
  • -v, --verbose — verbosely reports the processing. she's chatty and we love that 💬
  • -d, --debug — does NOT remove temporary files. leaving the mess behind on purpose, main character energy
  • -f, --force — considers all files obsolete. no vibes check, just force
  • -o, --output=FILE — saves the output into FILE. (standard output is the default, jsyk)
  • -W, --warnings=CATEGORY — reports the warnings that fall in CATEGORY [syntax]

🚨 Warning categories include: 🚨

  • cross — cross compilation issues
  • obsolete — obsolete constructs (she's old, she's tired)
  • syntax — dubious syntactic constructs 👀
  • all — literally all the warnings
  • no-CATEGORY — turns off the warnings on CATEGORY
  • none — turns off all the warnings. silence. peace. 🧘
  • error — warnings are error. yes it's a menace, yes it will stop you
the environment variables M4 and WARNINGS are honored. so like, respect them, they're doing their best 💜

📚 Library directories: 📚

  • -B, --prepend-include=DIR — prepends directory DIR to the search path
  • -I, --include=DIR — appends directory DIR to the search path

🔍 Tracing: 🔍

  • -t, --trace=MACRO[:FORMAT] — reports the list of calls to MACRO
  • -i, --initialization — also traces Autoconf's initialization process
⚠️ heads up bestie: in tracing mode, no configuration script is created. none. zero. it's a different mode entirely, don't be surprised.

FORMAT defaults to $f:$l:$n:$% — and if you want the full lore on FORMAT, go peek at autom4te --help. iykyk 🌈

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille. absolute legends, we stan 🫶

🐛 REPORTING BUGS 🐛

Report bugs to <bug-autoconf@gnu.org>.

Copyright © 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+/Autoconf: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, <http://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. not even a little one.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

autoconf(1), automake(1), autoreconf(1), autoupdate(1), autoheader(1), autoscan(1), config.guess(1), config.sub(1), ifnames(1), libtool(1).

The full documentation for autoconf is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and autoconf programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info autoconf

should give you access to the complete manual. go read it, it's giving encyclopedia but make it cute 📖✨

okay that's the whole thing!! this page is from GNU Autoconf 2.68b, dated March 2012 — yes she's vintage, yes she still eats. now go generate some configuration scripts, bestie, you've got this 💖🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from