[vlc-devel] [PATCH] configure.ac: Print a warning if xcb-keysyms is missing.

[Jan Janak]

2010/7/9 Rémi Denis-Courmont <remi at remlab.net>:
> ----- Message d'origine -----
>> Modules xcb_window and globalhotkeys won't be compiled if the
>> library xcb-keysyms is not installed. Rather than disabling the
>> modules silently the configure script should print a warning so
>> that the users know which library they need to install if the need
>> the two vlc modules.
>
> I got the feeling most people do not check the configure for warnings. Given the length (and speed) of the outout, I cannot blame them.

I guess people who attempt to compile vlc on their own know how to
redirect the output and use grep; speed and the length is not an issue
here.

> On top of that, I believe most people do not what those two modules do, and why they would need them.

There are so many more modules and libraries that most people don't
need, and yet the configure script prints warnings when some of the
depencencies are missing.

Besides, I am not proposing to halt the build process when xcb_window
cannot be build. The patch only prints a warning when the module
cannot be built due to missing xcb-keysyms. This give the user a
chance to install the missing dependency if they need xcb_window.

Without the warning it is not entirely easy to figure out what
dependencies need to be satisfied if you need the xcb_window module,
you have to dig deep into the configure or configure.ac scripts.

> So I agree there is a problem, but I doubt this patch solves it.

It may not solve the problem, but at least it makes it easier for the
user to install missing dependencies, should they need it. This patch
does not modify the build process, it only prints one extra message,
so I am not sure I see any reasons for not including it in the
official tree.

-Jan