[Please CC me with any replies, I am not subscribed to the list.] This with with autoconf 2.69.
I am unable to get a sensible value for $abs_top_builddir within configure.ac or config.status. I can only get a sensible value as a substitution of @abs_top_builddir@ (though AC_CONFIG_FILES). As I understand it, the info node `(autoconf) Preset Output Variables' tells me that these variables are usable during configure tests and during config.status. I was unable to use them at either point. config.status substitutes `@abs_top_builddir@' with the value of `$ac_abs_top_builddir', which I can access via AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS. Here is the test case I am using. Run it with `autoconf && ./configure && ./test': configure.ac: ============= AC_PREREQ([2.67]) AC_INIT([], [0], [f...@example.com]) AC_MSG_NOTICE([notice: ${abs_top_builddir}]) AC_MSG_NOTICE([notice+ac: ${abs_top_builddir}]) AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_PRE([echo "pre+ac: ${ac_abs_top_builddir}"]) AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_PRE([echo "pre: ${abs_top_builddir}"]) AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_POST([echo "post+ac: ${ac_abs_top_builddir}"]) AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_POST([echo "post: ${abs_top_builddir}"]) AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS([echo], [echo "config.status+ac: ${ac_abs_top_builddir}" echo "config.status: ${abs_top_builddir}"]) AC_CONFIG_FILES([test], [chmod +x test]) AC_OUTPUT test.in: ======== #!/bin/sh # -*- sh -*- # @configure_input@ echo "test: @abs_top_builddir@" echo "test+ac: @ac_abs_top_builddir@" On my machine, running this from /home/endgame/z gives: endgame@handybilly:~/z$ autoconf && ./configure && ./test configure: notice: configure: notice+ac: pre+ac: pre: configure: creating ./config.status post+ac: post: config.status: creating test config.status: executing echo commands config.status+ac: /home/endgame/z config.status: test: /home/endgame/z test+ac: @ac_abs_top_builddir@ endgame@handybilly:~/z$ Is this a bug or am I misunderstanding the documentation? Thanks, -- Jack