autoconf/automake complaints

[Mojca M. <moj...@gm...>]

Hello,

I would first like to ask why the file "Makefile.in" is present in
"docs", but nowhere else. I'm forced to run the ./prepare script
because the majority of files (./configure, Makefile.in in other
directories) are missing, but on the other hand I'm using a newer
version of automake and once I run ./prepare I'm unable to switch
branches until I remove/revert the file docs/Makefile.in after the
./prepare script modifies the file. Am I missing something or would it
be possible to remove that file from repository?

Also, since very very recently (just a couple of days) I'm getting the
following complaints from the ./prepare script:

aclocal: warning: autoconf input should be named 'configure.ac', not
'configure.in'
make: `Makefile.am' is up to date.
make: `Makefile.am' is up to date.
make: `Makefile.am' is up to date.
make: `Makefile.am' is up to date.
make: `Makefile.am' is up to date.
aclocal: warning: autoconf input should be named 'configure.ac', not
'configure.in'
automake: warning: autoconf input should be named 'configure.ac', not
'configure.in'
configure.in:10: warning: AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE: two- and three-arguments
forms are deprecated.  For more info, see:
configure.in:10:
http://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/automake.html#Modernize-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE-invocation
automake: warning: autoconf input should be named 'configure.ac', not
'configure.in'
automake: warning: autoconf input should be named 'configure.ac', not
'configure.in'

The gnuplot source code was successfully prepared.
Run configure now, then make && make install to build and install gnuplot.

I believe it's connected with a local update of autotools. I have the
following versions installed:

    automake: 1.12.4
    autoconf: 2.69

but I wouldn't know when I last updated any of them (they get updated
automatically every now and then when I run "port upgrade outdated").
On the other computer I still have automake 1.12.3 and that one
doesn't seem to complain.

May I please kindly request to test the scripts with the latest
automake/autoconf and possibly adapt them to the latest syntax?

Thank you very much,
    Mojca


Citations from the above mentioned website:

Although using some of the following macros was required in past
releases, you should not use any of them in new code. All these macros
will be removed in the next major Automake version; if you are still
using them, running autoupdate should adjust your configure.ac
automatically (see Using autoupdate to Modernize configure.ac). Do it
NOW!

-----------------------

AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([OPTIONS])
Runs many macros required for proper operation of the generated Makefiles.

Today, AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE is called with a single argument: a
space-separated list of Automake options that should be applied to
every Makefile.am in the tree. The effect is as if each option were
listed in AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS (see Options).

This macro can also be called in another, deprecated form (support for
which will be removed in the next major Automake release (1.13)):
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(PACKAGE, VERSION, [NO-DEFINE]). In this form, there
are two required arguments: the package and the version number. This
form is obsolete because the package and version can be obtained from
Autoconf's AC_INIT macro (which itself has an old and a new form).

If your configure.ac has:
          AC_INIT([src/foo.c])
          AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([mumble], [1.5])

you should modernize it as follows:
          AC_INIT([mumble], [1.5])
          AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/foo.c])
          AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE