(automake) User Variables

 
 Variables reserved for the user
 ===============================
 
    Some `Makefile' variables are reserved by the GNU Coding Standards
 for the use of the "user" - the person building the package.  For
 instance, `CFLAGS' is one such variable.
 
    Sometimes package developers are tempted to set user variables such
 as `CFLAGS' because it appears to make their job easier - they don't
 have to introduce a second variable into every target.
 
    However, the package itself should never set a user variable,
 particularly not to include switches which are required for proper
 compilation of the package.  Since these variables are documented as
 being for the package builder, that person rightfully expects to be able
 to override any of these variables at build time.
 
    To get around this problem, automake introduces an automake-specific
 shadow variable for each user flag variable.  (Shadow variables are not
 introduced for variables like `CC', where they would make no sense.)
 The shadow variable is named by prepending `AM_' to the user variable's
 name.  For instance, the shadow variable for `YFLAGS' is `AM_YFLAGS'.

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