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In the flowchart of autoconf and automake from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automake , are "configure" and "config.status" processes or input files? Their representations are confusing to me, according to the legend in the bottom right corner.

Thanks.

enter image description here

Tim
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    `configure` and `config.status` are both executable files. – ckruczek Jul 18 '16 at 12:31
  • The flowchart shows a UML-like high-level description of autoconf and automake processes. In the flowchart, are `configure` and `config.status` processes or input files to some other processes? – Tim Jul 18 '16 at 12:37
  • If you want so, `configure` and `config.status` can be stated as processes. But basically they are files that get executed whenever the user configures the project. They are not like `aclocal` or `autoheader` that gets executed automatically by the configure system. – ckruczek Jul 18 '16 at 12:40
  • thanks. what is the input to `autoscan` process? Is the input to `autoscan` the source code to be built? – Tim Jul 18 '16 at 12:44
  • Well basically it scans the source directory and creates a configure.scan file. – ckruczek Jul 18 '16 at 12:48
  • do you mean the input is the source code directory? Is the output `configure.scan` as you said or `configure.ac` as in the flowchart? – Tim Jul 18 '16 at 12:52
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    `autoscan` is just a helper tool to give you the first approximation of `configure.ac`. – Kusalananda Jul 18 '16 at 15:03
  • Yes the input is the source directory and the output is `configure.scan` the best way to test what happens in each step is to try it out :) – ckruczek Jul 19 '16 at 05:27
  • Thanks. What process outputs `configure.ac`? @ck – Tim Jul 19 '16 at 11:27
  • @Tim `autoscan` outputs `configure.scan` which you modify to create `configure.ac`. The `configure.ac` file is a file that you then do not "re-generate" but rather modify manually. – Kusalananda Jan 08 '17 at 15:29

1 Answers1

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This diagram depicts files as a rectangle shape, and processes as elliptical shapes.

As configure and config.status are files which are generated, they have some straight lines from a rectangle around them.

And as configure and config.status are also programs which are run, they are also process names and thus contain some elliptical (here: circular) shape around it at the same time.

ndim
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