AUTOCONF(F)                                           AUTOCONF(F)



NAME
       autoconf  - creates scripts to configure source code pack-
       ages using templates

SYNOPSIS
       autoconf [ --help | -h ] [ --version | -V ] [ --verbose  |
       -v  ]  [  --debug | -d ] [ --autoconf-dir=dir | -A dir ] [
       --localdir=dir | -l dir ] [ --output=file | -o  file  ]  [
       --warnings=category  | -W category ] [ --trace=macro[:for-
       mat] | -t macro[:format] ] [ --initialization | -i ]

DESCRIPTION
       To create configure from configure.in,  run  the  autoconf
       program  with  no  arguments.   autoconf processes config-
       ure.ac with the m4 macro  processor,  using  the  Autoconf
       macros.   If  you give autoconf an argument, it reads that
       file instead of configure.ac and writes the  configuration
       script to the standard output instead of to configure.  If
       you give autoconf the argument -, it  reads  the  standard
       input instead of configure.ac and writes the configuration
       script on the standard output.

       The Autoconf macros are defined in several files.  Some of
       the  files  are  distributed with Autoconf; autoconf reads
       them first.  Then it looks for the optional file acsite.m4
       in  the  directory  that contains the distributed Autoconf
       macro files, and for the optional file aclocal.m4  in  the
       current directory.  Those files can contain your site's or
       the package's own Autoconf macro definitions.  If a  macro
       is  defined  in  more  than one of the files that autoconf
       reads, the last definition it reads overrides the  earlier
       ones.


       autoconf accepts the following options:

       --help

       -h     Print  a  summary  of  the command line options and
              exit.

       --version

       -V     Print the version number of Autoconf and exit.

       --verbose

       -v     Report processing steps.

       --debug

       -d     Don't remove the temporary files.

       --autoconf-dir=dir

       -A dir Look for the installed  macro  files  in  directory
              dir.   You can also set the AC_MACRODIR environment
              variable to a directory; this option overrides  the
              environment variable.

       --localdir=dir

       -l dir Look  for  the package file aclocal.m4 in directory
              dir instead of in the current directory.

       --output=file

       -o file
              Save output (script or trace) to file.  The file  -
              stands for the standard output.

       --warnings=category

       -W category
              Report  the warnings related to category (which can
              actually be a comma separated list).  Special  val-
              ues  for  category  include all to report all warn-
              ings, none to report  no  warnings,  and  error  to
              treat warnings as errors.  See the Texinfo documen-
              tation for a  list  of  categories  and  additional
              information.

       --trace=macro[:format]

       -t macro[:format]
              Do  not  create  the configure script, but list the
              calls to macro according to the Iformat.   Multiple
              --trace  arguments  can  be  used  to  list several
              macros.  Multiple --trace arguments  for  a  single
              macro  are not cumulative; instead, you should just
              make format as long as needed.

       The format is a regular string, with newlines if  desired,
       and   several   special  escape  codes.   It  defaults  to
       $f:$l:$n:$%; see the Texinfo documentation for details.

       --initialization

       -i     By default, --trace does not trace the  initializa-
              tion of the Autoconf macros (typically the AC_DEFUN
              definitions).   This  results   in   a   noticeable
              speedup, but can be disabled by this option.


SEE ALSO
       autoheader(r),  autoreconf(f), autoscan(n), autoupdate(e),
       ifnames(s)

AUTHORS
       David MacKenzie, with help  from  Franc,ois  Pinard,  Karl
       Berry,  Richard  Pixley, Ian Lance Taylor, Roland McGrath,
       Noah Friedman, David D. Zuhn, and many others.  This  man-
       page  written  by  Ben Pfaff <pfaffben@debian.org> for the
       Debian GNU/Linux autoconf package.



                             Autoconf                 AUTOCONF(F)