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<title>Configure script</title>

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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main">configure script</span>

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<p>When installing a package on a <a href="Unix" title="Unix">Unix</a> or <a href="Unix-like" title="Unix-like">Unix-like</a> environment, a <b>configure script</b> is a <a href="Shell_script" title="Shell script">shell script</a> that generates <a href="Software_build" title="Software build">build</a> configuration files for a <a href="Codebase" title="Codebase">codebase</a> to facilitate cross-platform support. It generates files tailoring for the host system – the environment on which the codebase is built and run.

</p><p>Even though there are no standards for such a script, the pattern is so ubiquitous that many developers are familiar with and even expect a script named <i>configure</i> that has this functionality. The script can be and originally was hand-coded. Today, multiple tools are available for generating a configure script based on special configuration files. One commonly used tool is <a href="Autotools" class="mw-redirect" title="Autotools">Autotools</a> which generates a <a href="Bash_(Unix_shell)" title="Bash (Unix shell)">Bash</a> script.

</p><p>Obtaining a software package as <a href="Source_code" title="Source code">source code</a> and <a href="Compiler" title="Compiler">compiling</a> it locally is a common scenario on <a href="Unix" title="Unix">Unix</a> and <a href="Unix-like" title="Unix-like">Unix-like</a> environments. Typically, this process involves the following steps:

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<ol><li>Generate build configuration files</li>

<li>Build the code</li>

<li>Install the result to an accessible location</li></ol>

<p>A configure script accomplishes the first step by generating a <a href="Makefile" class="mw-redirect" title="Makefile">makefile</a> that is configured for the host system. This includes using the <a href="Library_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Library (computer science)">libraries</a> of the host as required by the codebase.

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<p>After navigating a command-line <a href="Shell_(computing)" title="Shell (computing)">shell</a> to the directory that contains the source code, the following commands are typically executed:<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-sh mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre>./configure

make

make<span class="w"> </span>install

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<p>For the Autotools, the configure script logs status and errors to file <i>config.log</i>, and the command <code>./configure --help</code> outputs command line help information.

</p><p>Often, a document with instructions is included with the codebase; often in a file named <code>INSTALL</code>. It can be helpful if the configure script fails.

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Generating">Generating</h2></div>

<p>Autotools simplifies some of the challenges of <a href="Cross-platform_software" title="Cross-platform software">cross-platform software</a> development.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> These tools query the host system for environment settings, platform architecture, and the existence and location of required build and runtime dependencies. They store the gathered information in <code>configure.ac</code> to be read by <code>configure</code> during the installation phase.

</p><p>In new development, library dependency checking can be accomplished via <a href="Pkg-config" title="Pkg-config">pkg-config</a> via the <a href="M4_(computer_language)" title="M4 (computer language)">m4</a> macro, PKG_CHECK_MODULES. Before pkg-config gained popularity, separate m4 macros were created to locate files known to be included in the distribution of libraries depended upon.

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>

<p>The first program to come with a configure script was <a href="Rn_(newsreader)" title="Rn (newsreader)">rn</a> by <a href="Larry_Wall" title="Larry Wall">Larry Wall</a> in 1984. The script was written by hand and produced a jocular running commentary when executed. It still survives as part of the build system of the <b>trn</b> program.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p><p>Since then, an ecosystem of tools have been developed to automate the creation of configure scripts, of which the most common is <a href="Autoconf" title="Autoconf">Autoconf</a>.

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.control-escape.com/linux/lx-swinstall-tar.html">"Compiling Linux Software from Source Code"</a>. Control-Escape's Linux Help Engine<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite></span>

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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/">"Autoconf - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)"</a>. GNU Operating System<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite></span>

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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://github.com/acli/trn/blob/613a7e97aca06dd807fb225990fa804e8c744574/Configure">"Configure script of trn"</a>. GitHub<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 December</span> 2020</span>.</cite></span>

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