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(autoconf.info.gz) Obsolete Macros

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 Obsolete Macros
 ===============
 
    Several macros are obsoleted in Autoconf, for various reasons
 (typically they failed to quote properly, couldn't be extended for more
 recent issues etc.).  They are still supported, but deprecated: their
 use should be avoided.
 
    During the jump from Autoconf version 1 to version 2, most of the
 macros were renamed to use a more uniform and descriptive naming scheme,
 but their signature did not change.   Macro Names, for a
 description of the new naming scheme.  Below, if there is just the
 mapping from old names to new names for these macros, the reader is
 invited to refer to the definition of the new macro for the signature
 and the description.
 
  - Macro: AC_ALLOCA
      `AC_FUNC_ALLOCA'
 
  - Macro: AC_ARG_ARRAY
      removed because of limited usefulness
 
  - Macro: AC_C_CROSS
      This macro is obsolete; it does nothing.
 
  - Macro: AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM
      Determine the system type and set output variables to the names of
      the canonical system types.   Canonicalizing, for details
      about the variables this macro sets.
 
      The user is encouraged to use either `AC_CANONICAL_BUILD', or
      `AC_CANONICAL_HOST', or `AC_CANONICAL_TARGET', depending on the
      needs.  Using `AC_CANONICAL_TARGET' is enough to run the two other
      macros.
 
  - Macro: AC_CHAR_UNSIGNED
      `AC_C_CHAR_UNSIGNED'
 
  - Macro: AC_CHECK_TYPE (TYPE, DEFAULT)
      Autoconf, up to 2.13, used to provide this version of
      `AC_CHECK_TYPE', deprecated because of its flaws.  Firstly,
      although it is a member of the `CHECK' clan, singular sub-family,
      it does more than just checking.  Secondly, missing types are not
      `typedef''d, they are `#define''d, which can lead to incompatible
      code in the case of pointer types.
 
      This use of `AC_CHECK_TYPE' is obsolete and discouraged; see 
      Generic Types, for the description of the current macro.
 
      If the type TYPE is not defined, define it to be the C (or C++)
      builtin type DEFAULT, e.g., `short' or `unsigned'.
 
      This macro is equivalent to:
 
           AC_CHECK_TYPE([TYPE],
                         [AC_DEFINE([TYPE], [DEFAULT],
                                    [Define to `DEFAULT' if <sys/types.h>
                                     does not define.])])
 
      In order to keep backward compatibility, the two versions of
      `AC_CHECK_TYPE' are implemented, selected by a simple heuristics:
 
        1. If there are three or four arguments, the modern version is
           used.
 
        2. If the second argument appears to be a C or C++ type, then the
           obsolete version is used.  This happens if the argument is a
           C or C++ _builtin_ type or a C identifier ending in `_t',
           optionally followed by one of `[(* ' and then by a string of
           zero or more characters taken from the set `[]()* _a-zA-Z0-9'.
 
        3. If the second argument is spelled with the alphabet of valid
           C and C++ types, the user is warned and the modern version is
           used.
 
        4. Otherwise, the modern version is used.
 
      You are encouraged either to use a valid builtin type, or to use
      the equivalent modern code (see above), or better yet, to use
      `AC_CHECK_TYPES' together with
 
           #if !HAVE_LOFF_T
           typedef loff_t off_t;
           #endif
 
  - Macro: AC_CHECKING (FEATURE-DESCRIPTION)
      Same as `AC_MSG_NOTICE([checking FEATURE-DESCRIPTION...]'.
 
  - Macro: AC_COMPILE_CHECK (ECHO-TEXT, INCLUDES, FUNCTION-BODY,
           ACTION-IF-FOUND, [ACTION-IF-NOT-FOUND])
      This is an obsolete version of `AC_TRY_LINK' ( Examining
      Libraries), with the addition that it prints `checking for
      ECHO-TEXT' to the standard output first, if ECHO-TEXT is
      non-empty.  Use `AC_MSG_CHECKING' and `AC_MSG_RESULT' instead to
      print messages ( Printing Messages).
 
  - Macro: AC_CONST
      `AC_C_CONST'
 
  - Macro: AC_CROSS_CHECK
      Same as `AC_C_CROSS', which is obsolete too, and does nothing
      `:-)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_CYGWIN
      Check for the Cygwin environment in which case the shell variable
      `CYGWIN' is set to `yes'.  Don't use this macro, the dignified
      means to check the nature of the host is using
      `AC_CANONICAL_HOST'.  As a matter of fact this macro is defined as:
 
           AC_REQUIRE([AC_CANONICAL_HOST])[]dnl
           case $host_os in
             *cygwin* ) CYGWIN=yes;;
                    * ) CYGWIN=no;;
           esac
 
      Beware that the variable `CYGWIN' has a very special meaning when
      running CygWin32, and should not be changed.  That's yet another
      reason not to use this macro.
 
  - Macro: AC_DECL_YYTEXT
      Does nothing, now integrated in `AC_PROG_LEX'.
 
  - Macro: AC_DIR_HEADER
      Like calling `AC_FUNC_CLOSEDIR_VOID' and`AC_HEADER_DIRENT', but
      defines a different set of C preprocessor macros to indicate which
      header file is found:
 
      Header         Old Symbol   New Symbol
      `dirent.h'     `DIRENT'     `HAVE_DIRENT_H'
      `sys/ndir.h'   `SYSNDIR'    `HAVE_SYS_NDIR_H'
      `sys/dir.h'    `SYSDIR'     `HAVE_SYS_DIR_H'
      `ndir.h'       `NDIR'       `HAVE_NDIR_H'
 
  - Macro: AC_DYNIX_SEQ
      If on DYNIX/ptx, add `-lseq' to output variable `LIBS'.  This
      macro used to be defined as
 
           AC_CHECK_LIB(seq, getmntent, LIBS="-lseq $LIBS")
 
      now it is just `AC_FUNC_GETMNTENT'.
 
  - Macro: AC_EXEEXT
      Defined the output variable `EXEEXT' based on the output of the
      compiler, which is now done automatically.  Typically set to empty
      string if Unix and `.exe' if Win32 or OS/2.
 
  - Macro: AC_EMXOS2
      Similar to `AC_CYGWIN' but checks for the EMX environment on OS/2
      and sets `EMXOS2'.
 
  - Macro: AC_ERROR
      `AC_MSG_ERROR'
 
  - Macro: AC_FIND_X
      `AC_PATH_X'
 
  - Macro: AC_FIND_XTRA
      `AC_PATH_XTRA'
 
  - Macro: AC_FUNC_CHECK
      `AC_CHECK_FUNC'
 
  - Macro: AC_FUNC_WAIT3
      If `wait3' is found and fills in the contents of its third argument
      (a `struct rusage *'), which HP-UX does not do, define
      `HAVE_WAIT3'.
 
      These days portable programs should use `waitpid', not `wait3', as
      `wait3' is being removed from the Open Group standards, and will
      not appear in the next revision of POSIX.
 
  - Macro: AC_GCC_TRADITIONAL
      `AC_PROG_GCC_TRADITIONAL'
 
  - Macro: AC_GETGROUPS_T
      `AC_TYPE_GETGROUPS'
 
  - Macro: AC_GETLOADAVG
      `AC_FUNC_GETLOADAVG'
 
  - Macro: AC_HAVE_FUNCS
      `AC_CHECK_FUNCS'
 
  - Macro: AC_HAVE_HEADERS
      `AC_CHECK_HEADERS'
 
  - Macro: AC_HAVE_LIBRARY (LIBRARY, [ACTION-IF-FOUND],
           [ACTION-IF-NOT-FOUND], [OTHER-LIBRARIES])
      This macro is equivalent to calling `AC_CHECK_LIB' with a FUNCTION
      argument of `main'.  In addition, LIBRARY can be written as any of
      `foo', `-lfoo', or `libfoo.a'.  In all of those cases, the
      compiler is passed `-lfoo'.  However, LIBRARY cannot be a shell
      variable; it must be a literal name.
 
  - Macro: AC_HAVE_POUNDBANG
      `AC_SYS_INTERPRETER' (different calling convention)
 
  - Macro: AC_HEADER_CHECK
      `AC_CHECK_HEADER'
 
  - Macro: AC_HEADER_EGREP
      `AC_EGREP_HEADER'
 
  - Macro: AC_INIT (UNIQUE-FILE-IN-SOURCE-DIR)
      Formerly `AC_INIT' used to have a single argument, and was
      equivalent to:
 
           AC_INIT
           AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR(UNIQUE-FILE-IN-SOURCE-DIR)
 
  - Macro: AC_INLINE
      `AC_C_INLINE'
 
  - Macro: AC_INT_16_BITS
      If the C type `int' is 16 bits wide, define `INT_16_BITS'.  Use
      `AC_CHECK_SIZEOF(int)' instead.
 
  - Macro: AC_IRIX_SUN
      If on IRIX (Silicon Graphics UNIX), add `-lsun' to output `LIBS'.
      If you were using it to get `getmntent', use `AC_FUNC_GETMNTENT'
      instead.  If you used it for the NIS versions of the password and
      group functions, use `AC_CHECK_LIB(sun, getpwnam)'.  Up to
      Autoconf 2.13, it used to be
 
           AC_CHECK_LIB(sun, getmntent, LIBS="-lsun $LIBS")
 
      now it is defined as
 
           AC_FUNC_GETMNTENT
           AC_CHECK_LIB(sun, getpwnam)
 
  - Macro: AC_LANG_C
      Same as `AC_LANG(C)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_LANG_CPLUSPLUS
      Same as `AC_LANG(C++)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_LANG_FORTRAN77
      Same as `AC_LANG(Fortran 77)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_LANG_RESTORE
      Select the LANGUAGE that is saved on the top of the stack, as set
      by `AC_LANG_SAVE', remove it from the stack, and call
      `AC_LANG(LANGUAGE)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_LANG_SAVE
      Remember the current language (as set by `AC_LANG') on a stack.
      The current language does not change.  `AC_LANG_PUSH' is preferred.
 
  - Macro: AC_LINK_FILES (SOURCE..., DEST...)
      This is an obsolete version of `AC_CONFIG_LINKS'.  An updated
      version of:
 
           AC_LINK_FILES(config/$machine.h config/$obj_format.h,
                         host.h            object.h)
 
      is:
 
           AC_CONFIG_LINKS(host.h:config/$machine.h
                           object.h:config/$obj_format.h)
 
  - Macro: AC_LN_S
      `AC_PROG_LN_S'
 
  - Macro: AC_LONG_64_BITS
      Define `LONG_64_BITS' if the C type `long int' is 64 bits wide.
      Use the generic macro `AC_CHECK_SIZEOF([long int])' instead.
 
  - Macro: AC_LONG_DOUBLE
      `AC_C_LONG_DOUBLE'
 
  - Macro: AC_LONG_FILE_NAMES
      `AC_SYS_LONG_FILE_NAMES'
 
  - Macro: AC_MAJOR_HEADER
      `AC_HEADER_MAJOR'
 
  - Macro: AC_MEMORY_H
      Used to define `NEED_MEMORY_H' if the `mem' functions were defined
      in `memory.h'.  Today it is equivalent to
      `AC_CHECK_HEADERS(memory.h)'.  Adjust your code to depend upon
      `HAVE_MEMORY_H', not `NEED_MEMORY_H'; see  Standard Symbols.
 
  - Macro: AC_MINGW32
      Similar to `AC_CYGWIN' but checks for the MingW32 compiler
      environment and sets `MINGW32'.
 
  - Macro: AC_MINUS_C_MINUS_O
      `AC_PROG_CC_C_O'
 
  - Macro: AC_MMAP
      `AC_FUNC_MMAP'
 
  - Macro: AC_MODE_T
      `AC_TYPE_MODE_T'
 
  - Macro: AC_OBJEXT
      Defined the output variable `OBJEXT' based on the output of the
      compiler, after .c files have been excluded.  Typically set to `o'
      if Unix, `obj' if Win32.  Now the compiler checking macros handle
      this automatically.
 
  - Macro: AC_OBSOLETE (THIS-MACRO-NAME, [SUGGESTION])
      Make `m4' print a message to the standard error output warning that
      THIS-MACRO-NAME is obsolete, and giving the file and line number
      where it was called.  THIS-MACRO-NAME should be the name of the
      macro that is calling `AC_OBSOLETE'.  If SUGGESTION is given, it
      is printed at the end of the warning message; for example, it can
      be a suggestion for what to use instead of THIS-MACRO-NAME.
 
      For instance
 
           AC_OBSOLETE([$0], [; use AC_CHECK_HEADERS(unistd.h) instead])dnl
 
      You are encouraged to use `AU_DEFUN' instead, since it gives better
      services to the user.
 
  - Macro: AC_OFF_T
      `AC_TYPE_OFF_T'
 
  - Macro: AC_OUTPUT ([FILE]..., [EXTRA-CMDS], [INIT-CMDS])
      The use of `AC_OUTPUT' with argument is deprecated.  This obsoleted
      interface is equivalent to:
 
           AC_CONFIG_FILES(FILE...)
           AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS([default],
                              EXTRA-CMDS, INIT-CMDS)
           AC_OUTPUT
 
  - Macro: AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS (EXTRA-CMDS, [INIT-CMDS])
      Specify additional shell commands to run at the end of
      `config.status', and shell commands to initialize any variables
      from `configure'.  This macro may be called multiple times.  It is
      obsolete, replaced by `AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS'.
 
      Here is an unrealistic example:
 
           fubar=27
           AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS([echo this is extra $fubar, and so on.],
                              [fubar=$fubar])
           AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS([echo this is another, extra, bit],
                              [echo init bit])
 
      Aside from the fact that `AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS' requires an
      additional key, an important difference is that
      `AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS' is quoting its arguments twice, unlike
      `AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS'.  This means that `AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS' can
      safely be given macro calls as arguments:
 
           AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS(foo, [my_FOO()])
 
      Conversely, where one level of quoting was enough for literal
      strings with `AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS', you need two with
      `AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS'.  The following lines are equivalent:
 
           AC_OUTPUT_COMMANDS([echo "Square brackets: []"])
           AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS([default], [[echo "Square brackets: []"]])
 
  - Macro: AC_PID_T
      `AC_TYPE_PID_T'
 
  - Macro: AC_PREFIX
      `AC_PREFIX_PROGRAM'
 
  - Macro: AC_PROG_CC_STDC
      This macro has been integrated into `AC_PROG_CC'.
 
  - Macro: AC_PROGRAMS_CHECK
      `AC_CHECK_PROGS'
 
  - Macro: AC_PROGRAMS_PATH
      `AC_PATH_PROGS'
 
  - Macro: AC_PROGRAM_CHECK
      `AC_CHECK_PROG'
 
  - Macro: AC_PROGRAM_EGREP
      `AC_EGREP_CPP'
 
  - Macro: AC_PROGRAM_PATH
      `AC_PATH_PROG'
 
  - Macro: AC_REMOTE_TAPE
      removed because of limited usefulness
 
  - Macro: AC_RESTARTABLE_SYSCALLS
      `AC_SYS_RESTARTABLE_SYSCALLS'
 
  - Macro: AC_RETSIGTYPE
      `AC_TYPE_SIGNAL'
 
  - Macro: AC_RSH
      removed because of limited usefulness
 
  - Macro: AC_SCO_INTL
      If on SCO UNIX, add `-lintl' to output variable `LIBS'.  This
      macro used to
 
           AC_CHECK_LIB(intl, strftime, LIBS="-lintl $LIBS")
 
      Now it just calls `AC_FUNC_STRFTIME' instead.
 
  - Macro: AC_SETVBUF_REVERSED
      `AC_FUNC_SETVBUF_REVERSED'
 
  - Macro: AC_SET_MAKE
      `AC_PROG_MAKE_SET'
 
  - Macro: AC_SIZEOF_TYPE
      `AC_CHECK_SIZEOF'
 
  - Macro: AC_SIZE_T
      `AC_TYPE_SIZE_T'
 
  - Macro: AC_STAT_MACROS_BROKEN
      `AC_HEADER_STAT'
 
  - Macro: AC_STDC_HEADERS
      `AC_HEADER_STDC'
 
  - Macro: AC_STRCOLL
      `AC_FUNC_STRCOLL'
 
  - Macro: AC_ST_BLKSIZE
      `AC_STRUCT_ST_BLKSIZE'
 
  - Macro: AC_ST_BLOCKS
      `AC_STRUCT_ST_BLOCKS'
 
  - Macro: AC_ST_RDEV
      `AC_STRUCT_ST_RDEV'
 
  - Macro: AC_SYS_RESTARTABLE_SYSCALLS
      If the system automatically restarts a system call that is
      interrupted by a signal, define `HAVE_RESTARTABLE_SYSCALLS'.  This
      macro does not check if system calls are restarted in general-it
      tests whether a signal handler installed with `signal' (but not
      `sigaction') causes system calls to be restarted.  It does not
      test if system calls can be restarted when interrupted by signals
      that have no handler.
 
      These days portable programs should use `sigaction' with
      `SA_RESTART' if they want restartable system calls.  They should
      not rely on `HAVE_RESTARTABLE_SYSCALLS', since nowadays whether a
      system call is restartable is a dynamic issue, not a
      configuration-time issue.
 
  - Macro: AC_SYS_SIGLIST_DECLARED
      `AC_DECL_SYS_SIGLIST'
 
  - Macro: AC_TEST_CPP
      `AC_TRY_CPP'
 
  - Macro: AC_TEST_PROGRAM
      `AC_TRY_RUN'
 
  - Macro: AC_TIMEZONE
      `AC_STRUCT_TIMEZONE'
 
  - Macro: AC_TIME_WITH_SYS_TIME
      `AC_HEADER_TIME'
 
  - Macro: AC_UID_T
      `AC_TYPE_UID_T'
 
  - Macro: AC_UNISTD_H
      Same as `AC_CHECK_HEADERS(unistd.h)'.
 
  - Macro: AC_USG
      Define `USG' if the BSD string functions are defined in
      `strings.h'.  You should no longer depend upon `USG', but on
      `HAVE_STRING_H'; see  Standard Symbols.
 
  - Macro: AC_UTIME_NULL
      `AC_FUNC_UTIME_NULL'
 
  - Macro: AC_VALIDATE_CACHED_SYSTEM_TUPLE ([CMD])
      If the cache file is inconsistent with the current host, target and
      build system types, it used to execute CMD or print a default
      error message.  This is now handled by default.
 
  - Macro: AC_VERBOSE (RESULT-DESCRIPTION)
      `AC_MSG_RESULT'.
 
  - Macro: AC_VFORK
      `AC_FUNC_VFORK'
 
  - Macro: AC_VPRINTF
      `AC_FUNC_VPRINTF'
 
  - Macro: AC_WAIT3
      `AC_FUNC_WAIT3'
 
  - Macro: AC_WARN
      `AC_MSG_WARN'
 
  - Macro: AC_WORDS_BIGENDIAN
      `AC_C_BIGENDIAN'
 
  - Macro: AC_XENIX_DIR
      This macro used to add `-lx' to output variable `LIBS' if on
      Xenix.  Also, if `dirent.h' is being checked for, added `-ldir' to
      `LIBS'.  Now it is merely an alias of `AC_HEADER_DIRENT' instead,
      plus some code to detect whether running XENIX on which you should
      not depend:
 
           AC_MSG_CHECKING([for Xenix])
           AC_EGREP_CPP(yes,
           [#if defined M_XENIX && !defined M_UNIX
             yes
           #endif],
                        [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes]); XENIX=yes],
                        [AC_MSG_RESULT([no]); XENIX=])
 
  - Macro: AC_YYTEXT_POINTER
      `AC_DECL_YYTEXT'
 
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