[GRASS-dev] build problems on Mac OS X 10.5.2.

[William Kyngesburye]

On May 10, 2008, at 11:57 PM, Glynn Clements wrote:

>> The dSYM file extension on the output file is the critical bit. If  
>> the
>> output file ends with a dSYM file extension, only supporting data is
>> generated. No executable. (see example below). I worked around the
>> problem by deleting references to ${ac_exeext}.  What's the right fix
>> for the configure script? Apparently there is a supporting script to
>> autoconf which needs to be updated, right?
>
> It's autoconf's AC_EXEEXT macro which is the problem. It attempts to
> determine the executable suffix automatically, with the following
> code:
>

> Essentially, it deletes conftest.*, compiles and links a test program
> named "conftest", then searches for any files matching conftest.*
> whose extension isn't recognised as an intermediate file. If any such
> file exists, it is assumed to be the executable, and its suffix is
> treated as the executable suffix.
>
> Clearly this fails if linking produces any unexpected files, such as
> conftest.dSYM (which presumably contains debug symbols).
>
> We should probably eliminate the use of that macro in favour of a
> simple "if cygwin or mingw then .exe else nothing" test. I don't know
> of any other supported platform where executables have a suffix.
>
Ah, yes, I see.  Even though the .dSYM bundle is created when debug  
sysmbols are ON, there is also a normal executable without an  
extension.  But AC_EXEEXT sees the bundle first (and ignores that it  
is a directory) and assumes that's the executable.

Note that with the correct extention (ie none), run tests will still  
produce that .dSYM bundle.  It seems to only happen when the compile  
and link steps are one, and not when object files are compiled, then  
linked in a separate step (so GRASS compilation won't be so messy).   
It's also only for the default OSX debug format, DWARF.

-----
William Kyngesburye <kyngchaos*at*kyngchaos*dot*com>
http://www.kyngchaos.com/

"Mon Dieu! but they are all alike.  Cheating, murdering, lying,  
fighting, and all for things that the beasts of the jungle would not  
deign to possess - money to purchase the effeminate pleasures of  
weaklings.  And yet withal bound down by silly customs that make them  
slaves to their unhappy lot while firm in the belief that they be the  
lords of creation enjoying the only real pleasures of existence....

- the wisdom of Tarzan