Using autoconf to Create configure

To create configure from `configure.in', run the autoconf program with no arguments. autoconf processes `configure.in' with the m4 macro processor, using the Autoconf macros. If you give autoconf an argument, it reads that file instead of `configure.in' 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.in' 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 (see section Writing Macros, for more information). 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.

--localdir=dir

-l dir

Look for the package file `aclocal.m4' in directory dir instead of in the current directory.

--macrodir=dir

-m 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.

--version

Print the version number of Autoconf and exit.

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