* automake.texi (Python): Explain that directory variables start

with either ${prefix} or ${exec_prefix}, and point to the
`Installation Directory Variables' section of the Autoconf manual.

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index ebf74360cab1e78cf8776d48f12c36b543c09999..5d45ba70d9fb36be2c3e281f1790b1cbb12f340f 100644 (file)
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2003-01-22  Alexandre Duret-Lutz  <adl@gnu.org>
+
+       * automake.texi (Python): Explain that directory variables start
+       with either ${prefix} or ${exec_prefix}, and point to the
+       `Installation Directory Variables' section of the Autoconf manual.
+
 2003-01-21  Alexandre Duret-Lutz  <adl@gnu.org>
 
        * lib/am/distdir.am (top_distdir, distdir): Define these

diff --git a/automake.texi b/automake.texi
index b67020891aa8a1e954e30119398c8b968020afce..9722ecfe23ec1b9f34333cde802e58d86cd91145 100644 (file)
--- a/automake.texi
+++ b/automake.texi
@@ -3913,12 +3913,12 @@ The Python version number, in the form @var{major}.@var{minor}
 @code{sys.version[:3]}.
 
 @item PYTHON_PREFIX
-The string @code{$prefix}.  This term may be used in future work
+The string @code{$@{prefix@}}.  This term may be used in future work
 which needs the contents of Python's @code{sys.prefix}, but general
 consensus is to always use the value from configure.
 
 @item PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX
-The string @code{$exec_prefix}.  This term may be used in future work
+The string @code{$@{exec_prefix@}}.  This term may be used in future work
 which needs the contents of Python's @code{sys.exec_prefix}, but general
 consensus is to always use the value from configure.
 
@@ -3945,6 +3945,15 @@ This is a convenience variable which is defined as
 @samp{$(pyexecdir)/$(PACKAGE)}.
 @end vtable
 
+All these directory variables have values that start with either
+@code{$@{prefix@}} or @code{$@{exec_prefix@}} unexpanded.  This works
+fine in @file{Makefiles}, but it makes these variables hard to use in
+@file{configure}.  This is mandated by the GNU conding standard, so
+that the user can run @code{make prefix=/foo install}.  The Autoconf
+manual has a section with more details on this topic
+(@pxref{Installation Directory Variables, , Installation Directory
+Variables, autoconf, The Autoconf Manual}).
+
 
 @node Documentation, Install, Other GNU Tools, Top
 @chapter Building documentation