It is possible to define and install programs that are scripts. Such
programs are listed using the SCRIPTS primary name. Automake
doesn't define any dependencies for scripts; the Makefile.am
should include the appropriate rules.
Automake does not assume that scripts are derived objects; such objects
must be deleted by hand (see Clean).
The automake program itself is a Perl script that is generated from automake.in. Here is how this is handled:
bin_SCRIPTS = automake
CLEANFILES = $(bin_SCRIPTS)
do_subst = sed -e 's,[@]datadir[@],$(datadir),g' \
-e 's,[@]PERL[@],$(PERL),g' \
-e 's,[@]PACKAGE[@],$(PACKAGE),g' \
-e 's,[@]VERSION[@],$(VERSION),g' \
...
automake: automake.in Makefile
$(do_subst) < $(srcdir)/automake.in > automake
chmod +x automake
Because—as we have just seen—scripts can be built, they are not
distributed by default. Scripts that should be distributed can be
specified using a dist_ prefix as in other primaries. For
instance, the following Makefile.am declares that
my_script should be distributed and installed in
$(sbindir).
dist_sbin_SCRIPTS = my_script
Script objects can be installed in bindir, sbindir,
libexecdir, or pkgdatadir.
Scripts that need not being installed can be listed in
noinst_SCRIPTS, and among them, those which are needed only by
make check should go in check_SCRIPTS.