How to use GNU autoconf to generate a new configure from configure.in ??
 

I read "How to install a program(VIC) "
and he told me to use "GNU autoconf" to generate a new configure from configure.in.
but I don't know How to do that??

I copy that "How to install VIC"

Installation
The easiest way to install vic is to grab the binary distribution. for your architecture, unpack it, and install the executable and manual entry. You can also build vic from source. Start by unpacking the gzip'd source tar, e.g., by running

* gzip -d -c vicsrc-tar.gz | tar xfv -

This will place the contents of the source distribution in ./vic-x.y where ``x.y'' is the current version number. ``cd'' into this directory and do the following:

* Make sure tcl/tk (v7.5/4.1) is installed or built in the directory above the vic tree.
* Run the ./configure script. You may specify the following arguments to configure:

-x-includes=path specify a pathname for the X include tree
-x-libraries=path specify a pathname for the X libraries
-with-tcl=path specify a pathname for tcl
-with-tk=path specify a pathname for tk
-with-aix-shm=path specify a pathname for the AIX shm extension library

If you run into problems with configure, you should edit configure.in instead of configure and use GNU autoconf to generate a new configure from configure.in. If you need to make such changes, please send them to us so future versions of vic will configure out of the box.
* Run make.
* If make completes successfully, run ``make install'' as root to install the binary and man page.


This my VIC folder
[root@localhost vic-2.8]# ls
assistor-jv.cc dct.h idlecallback.cc rv.h
assistor-plx.cc decoder.cc idlecallback.h session.cc
bsd-endian.h decoder-cellb.cc inet.c session.h
cbAppInit.c decoder-cosmo.cc inet.h session-ivs.cc
cb.cc decoder.h install-sh session-nv.cc
cellb_tables.c decoder-h261.cc iohandler.cc session-rtpv1.cc
cf-confbus.tcl decoder-h261v1.cc iohandler.h session-rtpv1.h
cf-main.tcl decoder-jpeg.cc jpeg source.cc
cf-network.tcl decoder-nv.cc jv2 source.h
cf-tm.tcl decoder-scr.cc jv-cube-128.ppm strtol.c
cf-util.tcl device.cc jv-cube-64.ppm strtoul.c
CHANGES.html device-input.h lib.ultrix sys-time.h
cm170.ppm device-output.h main.cc tcl2c++.c
color.cc encoder-cellb.cc Makefile.in Tcl2.cc
color-dither.cc encoder-h261.cc makefile.vc Tcl.cc
color-ed.cc encoder-nv.cc md5c.c Tcl.h
color-gray.cc entry.tcl md5.h timer.cc
color.h FILES media-timer.cc timer.h
color-hi.cc framer-h261.cc media-timer.h title-maker
color-hist.cc framer-h261.h mkbv.c tkerror.tcl
color-hist.h framer-jpeg.cc mkcube.cc tkStripchart.c
color-mono.cc gamma.gif mkdep transcoder-jpeg.cc
color-pseudo.cc getopt.c mkversion.c transmitter.cc
color-pseudo.h global.h module.cc transmitter.h
color-quant.cc grabber.cc module.h ui-ctrlmenu.tcl
color-true.cc grabber-cosmo.cc net-atm.cc ui-extout.tcl
color-yuv.cc grabber.h net.cc ui-grabber.tcl
communicator.cc grabber-jv.cc net.h ui-h261_play.tcl
compositor.cc grabber-meteor.cc net-ip.cc ui-help.tcl
confbus.cc grabber-mme.cc net-rtip.cc ui-main.tcl
confdefs.h grabber-plx.cc ntp-time.h ui-resource.tcl
config.cache grabber-qcam.cc output-vl.cc ui-srclist.tcl
config.guess grabber-rtvc.cc p64 ui-stats.tcl
config.h grabber-slv.cc plxfuncs.h ui-switcher.tcl
config.log grabber-spigot.cc ppm.cc ui-unix.tcl
config.sub grabber-still.cc ppmtolut.c ui-util.tcl
configure grabber-sunrise.cc random.c ui-vdd.tcl
configure.in grabber-svideo.cc rate-variable.cc ui-win32.tcl
configure.in.head grabber-vigra.cc rcap-include ui-windows.tcl
configure.in.tail grabber-vl.cc README vdd.cc
configure.in.tk grabber-vpix.cc README.WIN32 VERSION
configure.in.x11 grabber-xil.cc renderer.cc vic.1
convex_hull.c grabber-xv.cc renderer.h vw.cc
crdef.h group-ipc.cc renderer-window.cc vw.h
crypt.cc group-ipc.h renderer-window.h win32.c
crypt-des.cc h261_play.1 rgb-converter.cc win32X.c
crypt-dull.cc h261_play.cc rgb-converter.h
crypt.h histtolut.cc rt.h
dct.cc html rtp.h
[root@localhost vic-2.8]#

I already try use command "./configure " but it don't work

so I must use "autoconf" to generate new "configure"
pls tell me How to do that??:(

How exactly did it not work? It's more likely that it didn't work because you didn't have one of the needed libraries mentioned in that bit of text you pasted. You should only need to generate a new configure script if you actually made changes to the configure.in... But if you made changes to the configure.in to stop it for looking for needed libraries, you might be able to get the configure script to run, but then you will run into problems when you actually try to compile that source because you STILL won't have the needed libraries.

In the event that you really do need to create a new configure script, you would simply run autoconf. Since you don't seem too familiar with autoconf, I'm guessing that it isn't very likely that your problem will be fixed by this, though. Instead, post the exact errors you got, and we can probably tell you what needed component you are missing from your system.

thanks,deiussum

well,This is my error

[root@localhost vic-2.8]# ./configure
loading cache ./config.cache
checking host system type... Invalid configuration `i686-unknown-linux': machine `i686-unknown' not recognized

checking target system type... Invalid configuration `i686-unknown-linux': machine `i686-unknown' not recognized

checking build system type... Invalid configuration `i686-unknown-linux': machine `i686-unknown' not recognized

checking for gcc... gcc
checking whether we are using GNU C... yes
checking whether gcc accepts -g... yes
checking for c++... c++
checking whether we are using GNU C++... yes
checking whether c++ accepts -g... yes
checking how to run the C preprocessor... gcc -E
checking whether cross-compiling... no
checking for ANSI C header files... yes
checking for string.h... yes
checking for -lXbsd... no
checking for -lsocket... no
checking for -lnsl... yes
checking for -ldnet_stub... no
./configure: line 1258: test: =: unary operator expected
checking for X11 header files
checking for X11 library archive
checking for -lX11... no
checking for libXext.a
checking for -ltcl7.5... no
checking for libtcl.a
checking for tcl/init.tcl
can't find tcl/init.tcl
[root@localhost vic-2.8]# make
make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop.
[root@localhost vic-2.8]#

I think it may help if I show every thing in VIC-2.8
so I copy it

[root@localhost vic]# cd vic-2*
[root@localhost vic-2.8]# ls
assistor-jv.cc dct.h idlecallback.cc rv.h
assistor-plx.cc decoder.cc idlecallback.h session.cc
bsd-endian.h decoder-cellb.cc inet.c session.h
cbAppInit.c decoder-cosmo.cc inet.h session-ivs.cc
cb.cc decoder.h install-sh session-nv.cc
cellb_tables.c decoder-h261.cc iohandler.cc session-rtpv1.cc
cf-confbus.tcl decoder-h261v1.cc iohandler.h session-rtpv1.h
cf-main.tcl decoder-jpeg.cc jpeg source.cc
cf-network.tcl decoder-nv.cc jv2 source.h
cf-tm.tcl decoder-scr.cc jv-cube-128.ppm strtol.c
cf-util.tcl device.cc jv-cube-64.ppm strtoul.c
CHANGES.html device-input.h lib.ultrix sys-time.h
cm170.ppm device-output.h main.cc tcl2c++.c
color.cc encoder-cellb.cc Makefile.in Tcl2.cc
color-dither.cc encoder-h261.cc makefile.vc Tcl.cc
color-ed.cc encoder-nv.cc md5c.c Tcl.h
color-gray.cc entry.tcl md5.h timer.cc
color.h FILES media-timer.cc timer.h
color-hi.cc framer-h261.cc media-timer.h title-maker
color-hist.cc framer-h261.h mkbv.c tkerror.tcl
color-hist.h framer-jpeg.cc mkcube.cc tkStripchart.c
color-mono.cc gamma.gif mkdep transcoder-jpeg.cc
color-pseudo.cc getopt.c mkversion.c transmitter.cc
color-pseudo.h global.h module.cc transmitter.h
color-quant.cc grabber.cc module.h ui-ctrlmenu.tcl
color-true.cc grabber-cosmo.cc net-atm.cc ui-extout.tcl
color-yuv.cc grabber.h net.cc ui-grabber.tcl
communicator.cc grabber-jv.cc net.h ui-h261_play.tcl
compositor.cc grabber-meteor.cc net-ip.cc ui-help.tcl
confbus.cc grabber-mme.cc net-rtip.cc ui-main.tcl
confdefs.h grabber-plx.cc ntp-time.h ui-resource.tcl
config.cache grabber-qcam.cc output-vl.cc ui-srclist.tcl
config.guess grabber-rtvc.cc p64 ui-stats.tcl
config.h grabber-slv.cc plxfuncs.h ui-switcher.tcl
config.log grabber-spigot.cc ppm.cc ui-unix.tcl
config.sub grabber-still.cc ppmtolut.c ui-util.tcl
configure grabber-sunrise.cc random.c ui-vdd.tcl
configure.in grabber-svideo.cc rate-variable.cc ui-win32.tcl
configure.in.head grabber-vigra.cc rcap-include ui-windows.tcl
configure.in.tail grabber-vl.cc README vdd.cc
configure.in.tk grabber-vpix.cc README.WIN32 VERSION
configure.in.x11 grabber-xil.cc renderer.cc vic.1
convex_hull.c grabber-xv.cc renderer.h vw.cc
crdef.h group-ipc.cc renderer-window.cc vw.h
crypt.cc group-ipc.h renderer-window.h win32.c
crypt-des.cc h261_play.1 rgb-converter.cc win32X.c
crypt-dull.cc h261_play.cc rgb-converter.h
crypt.h histtolut.cc rt.h
dct.cc html rtp.h
[root@localhost vic-2.8]#

I use redhat 9 and I install everything in my distibution cd

Here's the problem right here:
And here's from the instructions you pasted in your first post:

It seems to me you simply didn't follow the instructions you pasted because the configure script isn't finding tcl/tk...

thank,deiussum

well

[root@localhost share]# ls|grep tk
gtk-2.0
gtkam
gtk-doc
gtkhtml-1.1
itk3.2
pygtk
tk8.3
tkX8.3
[root@localhost share]# ls|grep tcl
itcl3.2
tcl8.3
tcllib1.3
tclX8.3
[root@localhost share]# pwd
/usr/share
[root@localhost share]#

so I copy vic-2.8 to the path /usr/share
and run ./configure again but it have the same error

Must "tcl/tk" be version (v7.5/4.1) ?
and How I install tcl/tk (v7.5/4.1) in the another folder such as /home/bee ?
if I use rpm file to install,will it install in path /usr/share ?