Automake：如何可移植地抛出错误并终止目标执行

需求：根据configure脚本的检测结果，当缺少测试框架（如check）时，执行make check要直接输出诊断信息并终止目标，避免用户误解测试已完成。

尝试过的方案及问题 #

• 方案1：在Makefile.am中使用$(error)指令
  触发Automake警告，因为$(error)是GNU Make的扩展，不符合POSIX标准，导致构建失败：

  automake-1.16: warnings are treated as errors
  Makefile.am:9: warning: error tests are disabled due to missing check: non-POSIX variable name
  Makefile.am:9: (probably a GNU make extension)
  make: *** [Makefile:347: ../Makefile.in] Error 1
  

• 方案2：改用@exit 1
  执行make check时会先运行测试套件，之后才输出错误提示，用户容易误以为测试已经成功执行。

最终解决方案 #

通过在tests/Makefile.am中添加专属脚本，结合configure生成可执行脚本和AM_TESTS_FD_REDIRECT处理输出重定向，实现提前提示并终止的效果：

1. tests/Makefile.am 配置 #

根据MISSING_CHECK条件切换测试目标：当缺少测试框架时，指定错误提示脚本为测试脚本；正常情况则编译测试程序。AM_TESTS_FD_REDIRECT用于确保脚本的错误输出能正确显示。

# if check is missing, run script to inform the user of this
if MISSING_CHECK
check_SCRIPTS = no_test.sh
# allow the script to echo to stderr
AM_TESTS_FD_REDIRECT = 9>&2
endif

if !MISSING_CHECK
check_PROGRAMS =
check_PROGRAMS += test_integer

endif

TESTS = $(check_SCRIPTS) $(check_PROGRAMS)

2. configure.ac 配置 #

让configure生成可执行的no_test.sh脚本：

AC_CONFIG_FILES([tests/no_test.sh], [chmod +x tests/no_test.sh])

3. tests/no_test.sh.in 脚本模板 #

输出诊断信息并以非零状态退出，确保make check直接终止：

#!/bin/bash

# Inform the user that tests are disabled and how to change that.
echo "No tests created due to missing check or user preference." >&2;
echo "No tests created due to missing check or user preference." >&9;
echo "To enable tests, run configure with --enable-tests=yes" >&2;
echo "To enable tests, run configure with --enable-tests=yes" >&9;
exit 1

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者caulder