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-rw-r--r--doc/automake.texi17
1 files changed, 13 insertions, 4 deletions
diff --git a/doc/automake.texi b/doc/automake.texi
index a8233dd1a..c463fe789 100644
--- a/doc/automake.texi
+++ b/doc/automake.texi
@@ -3254,8 +3254,12 @@ Cause the output to be put into @var{file} instead of @file{aclocal.m4}.
@opindex --print-ac-dir
Prints the name of the directory that @command{aclocal} will search to
find third-party @file{.m4} files. When this option is given, normal
-processing is suppressed. This option can be used by a package to
-determine where to install a macro file.
+processing is suppressed. This option was used @emph{in the past} by
+third-party packages to determine where to install @file{.m4} macro
+files, but @emph{this usage is today discouraged}, since it causes
+@samp{$(prefix)} not to be thoroughly honoured (which violates the
+GNU Coding Standards), and a similar semantics can be better obtained
+with the @env{ACLOCAL_PATH} environment variable; @pxref{Extending aclocal}.
@item --verbose
@opindex --verbose
@@ -3430,6 +3434,7 @@ Similarly, @file{dirlist} can be handy if you have installed a local
copy of Automake in your account and want @command{aclocal} to look for
macros installed at other places on the system.
+@anchor{ACLOCAL_PATH}
@subsubheading Modifying the Macro Search Path: @file{ACLOCAL_PATH}
@cindex @env{ACLOCAL_PATH}
@@ -3491,8 +3496,12 @@ aclocal_DATA = mymacro.m4 myothermacro.m4
@noindent
Please do use @file{$(datadir)/aclocal}, and not something based on
-the result of @samp{aclocal --print-ac-dir}. @xref{Hard-Coded Install
-Paths}, for arguments.
+the result of @samp{aclocal --print-ac-dir} (@pxref{Hard-Coded Install
+Paths}, for arguments). It might also be helpful to suggest to
+the user to add the @file{$(datadir)/aclocal} directory to his
+@env{ACLOCAL_PATH} variable (@pxref{ACLOCAL_PATH}) so that
+@command{aclocal} will find the @file{.m4} files installed by your
+package automatically.
A file of macros should be a series of properly quoted
@code{AC_DEFUN}'s (@pxref{Macro Definitions, , , autoconf, The