Re: Missing dependency on native `makedoc` in `info` Makefile

On 22/03/2026 19.09, Gavin Smith wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2026 at 11:20:17AM +0100, Manuel Jacob wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> When cross-compiling texinfo in an environment where ncurses is available
>> for the host machine (e.g. in a sysroot), but not for the build machine,
>> running `make` fails with the following error:
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The same error has been reported here:
>> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-texinfo/2013-11/msg00017.html
>>
>> In the case of cross-compiling, parts of texinfo are built for running on
>> the build machine (in the `tools` directory). For each of the build machine
>> and the host machine, it is decided whether the `info` subdirectory is built
>> or not, based on `HAVE_TERMLIBS`. If `HAVE_TERMLIBS` is false for the build
>> machine and true for the host machine, `tools/info` will not be built, but
>> `info` will be built, trying to execute `../tools/info/makedoc`, which is
>> not there.
>>
>> A possible workaround is to execute `make -C tools/info makedoc` before
>> executing `make`.
> 
> Thanks for testing and investigating this.  I'm surprised that
> cross-compilation works at all - the support in the build system for it is
> very old and is from before the Perl implementation of makeinfo, as far as
> I am aware.
> 
> I've attempted a fix based on your description.  I'm not really sure how
> I would test this, but if you can confirm this works, we could make this
> change.

I can confirm that these two ways to build texinfo produce exactly the 
same end result:

1) without your patch and with `make -C tools/info makedoc` workaround
2) with your patch and without `make -C tools/info makedoc` workaround

> diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
> index ba1f5e1d7d..8bbc9d546e 100644
> --- a/ChangeLog
> +++ b/ChangeLog
> @@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
> +2026-03-22  Gavin Smith <[email protected]>
> +
> +	Always build info/makedoc when cross-compiling
> +
> +	* Makefile.am (SUBDIRS) [TOOLS_ONLY]:
> +	Always include "info" subdirectory to allow "makedoc" program
> +	to be built on "build" system when cross-compiling, even if terminal
> +	library is not found on "build".
> +	* info/Makefile.am (bin_PROGRAMS): Use HAVE_TERMLIBS conditional to
> +	only include "ginfo" if terminal library is found.
> +	(LDADD, ginfo_LDADD): Only use $(TERMLIBS) in ginfo_LDADD.
> +
>   2026-03-22 Patrice Dumas  <[email protected]>
>   
>   	Put lineraw line commands leading and trailing directly in tree
> diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
> index 5002ff9371..88e673b41b 100644
> --- a/Makefile.am
> +++ b/Makefile.am
> @@ -51,15 +51,7 @@ install-tex:
>   SUBDIRS =
>   if TOOLS_ONLY
>     # Build native tools only.
> -  SUBDIRS += gnulib/lib install-info tta util
> -if HAVE_TERMLIBS
> -    SUBDIRS += info
> -else
> -# DOS/Windows don't need TERMLIBS to build Info
> -if HOST_IS_WINDOWS
> -  SUBDIRS += info
> -endif
> -endif
> +  SUBDIRS += gnulib/lib info install-info tta util

We could avoid building the `info` directory for build if it’s not 
needed for host. But, unless you can think of an easy way to that, it’s 
probably not worth any extra effort.

>   else
>     # All subdirectories.
>     # Do libs first since the C programs depend on it.
> @@ -74,9 +66,8 @@ if HOST_IS_WINDOWS
>     SUBDIRS += info
>   endif
>   endif
> -  SUBDIRS += install-info po po_document tta Pod-Simple-Texinfo \
> -             texindex util doc man
> -  SUBDIRS += js
> +  SUBDIRS += install-info js po po_document texindex tta Pod-Simple-Texinfo \
> +             util doc man
>   endif
>   
>   distclean-local:
> diff --git a/info/Makefile.am b/info/Makefile.am
> index 265f538371..f66db95245 100644
> --- a/info/Makefile.am
> +++ b/info/Makefile.am
> @@ -18,10 +18,18 @@
>   # distributed even without no-dist-built-sources
>   AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = 1.16
>   
> +if HAVE_TERMLIBS
> +bin_PROGRAMS = ginfo
> +else
> +# DOS/Windows don't need TERMLIBS to build Info
> +if HOST_IS_WINDOWS
> +bin_PROGRAMS = ginfo
> +endif
> +endif

You could wrap the whole block in `if ! TOOLS_ONLY` because it doesn’t 
seem like the info tool is needed for the build machine.

> +
>   # Use `ginfo' for building to avoid confusion with the standard `info'
>   # target.  Removes the `g' in the install rule before applying any
>   # user-specified name transformations.

Maybe this comment should be moved up to before the previous block?

> -bin_PROGRAMS = ginfo
>   transform = s/ginfo/info/; $(program_transform_name)
>   
>   AM_CPPFLAGS =                                   \
> @@ -34,7 +42,7 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS =                                   \
>     -DSYSCONFDIR=\"$(sysconfdir)\"                \
>     -DPKGDATADIR=\"$(pkgdatadir)\"
>   
> -LDADD = $(top_builddir)/gnulib/lib/libgnu.a $(TERMLIBS)
> +LDADD = $(top_builddir)/gnulib/lib/libgnu.a
>   
>   # for various gnulib modules
>   LDADD += $(LIBINTL) $(LIBICONV) $(LIBC32CONV) $(LIBUNISTRING) $(LIBTHREAD)
> @@ -45,6 +53,8 @@ LDADD += $(HARD_LOCALE_LIB) $(SETLOCALE_NULL_LIB)
>   # for mbrtowc gnulib module which is brought in indirectly
>   LDADD += $(MBRTOWC_LIB)
>   
> +ginfo_LDADD = $(LDADD) $(TERMLIBS)
> +
>   # Needed if make has not run in the "gnulib" directory yet
>   ../gnulib/lib/libgnu.a:
>   	cd ../gnulib/lib && $(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS)
> 

[unrelated to the diff:]

info/Makefile.am contains the following:

funs.h: makedoc$(EXEEXT) $(cmd_sources)
	rm -f $(generated_sources)
	$(top_builddir)/$(native_tools)/info/makedoc $(cmd_sources)

I think that the dependency on makedoc$(EXEEXT) is not necessary in the 
cross-compilation case. Skipping compilation of it won’t make a big 
difference in compilation time, but it probably clarifies things for the 
reader (even though it’s more verbose).

(This made me think whether there is a way to actually add a dependency 
on `$(top_builddir)/$(native_tools)/info/makedoc`. I’m not at all 
familiar with recursive automake, but there doesn’t seem a 
straightforward way).