Re: Installing from Git repository failed and problems with documentation formats

I thought to try `libtoolize' first and that eliminated the Automake error=
s regarding the Autoconf macros.
However, the missing file errors remained:

configure.ac:52: error: required file './config.rpath' not found
configure.ac:159: error: required file 'intl/Makefile.in' not found
configure.ac:52: error: required file './ABOUT-NLS' not found

There's no explanation of building the package from scratch with the build=
 tools Libtool, Autoconf, etc., in INSTALL or
elsewhere in the top directory.

Laurence

> Gesendet: Dienstag, 05. April 2022 um 07:26 Uhr
> Von: "Laurence Finston" <[email protected]>
> An: [email protected]
> Betreff: Installing from Git repository failed and problems with documen=
tation formats
>
> Hello,
>
> I was able to install mdk 1.3.0 from the tarball.  I was not able to ins=
tall MDK from the current version in the Git repository.  This is the prot=
ocol:
>
> $ git clone git://git.sv.gnu.org/mdk.git
>
> $ cd mdk/
>
> $ aclocal
>
> $ autoconf
>
> $ autoheader
>
> Successful up to here.
>
> $ automake --add-missing --copy
>
> configure.ac:52: warning: AC_COMPILE_IFELSE was called before AC_USE_SYS=
TEM_EXTENSIONS
> configure.ac:52: warning: AC_RUN_IFELSE was called before AC_USE_SYSTEM_=
EXTENSIONS
> configure.ac:52: error: required file './config.rpath' not found
> configure.ac:159: error: required file 'intl/Makefile.in' not found
> configure.ac:52: error: required file './ABOUT-NLS' not found
>
> The only file in [...]/mdk/intl is `.gitignore' (i.e., no `Makefile.am')=
.
>
> I wanted to generate the manual in PDF format.  Using the dist. from the=
 tarball, I got this error:
>
> $ make gendocs
> (cd ../doc && \
>          ./gendocs.sh --email [email protected] mdk 'GNU MDK Users Manual'=
)
> /bin/bash: line 1: ./gendocs.sh: No such file or directory
> make: *** [Makefile:989: gendocs] Error 127
>
> Using the installation from the Git repository, I was able to generate `=
gendocs' but then I got this error:
>
> $ gendocs
> ./gendocs: cannot find .texinfo or .texi or .txi for  in /home/laurence/=
mdk_local/git_repos/mdk/doc.
>
> I just used `texi2dvi mdk.tex' and `dvipdfmx mdk.dvi' to generate the PD=
F file.  The following aren't bugs, but I then had to print to a file to g=
et it into DIN A4 format and had to look for the page numbers to eliminate=
 the blank page at the end and the COPYING section.  Obviously, the COPYIN=
G section is needed but I think it would be a convenience to indicate how =
to eliminate it for printing purposes.  I don't do this yet for my manuals=
, but I plan to.
>
> I do think it's important, however, to provide documentation in PDF form=
at from the point of view of accessibility for people who, like me, have p=
roblems reading on computer screens.  If you don't want to do that, it wou=
ld be nice if you would consider at least providing rules for this in `[..=
.]/doc/Makefile.am', because not everybody knows how to use Texinfo.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Laurence Finston