Compatibility with Autoconf

Syntax of GNU Autoconf Testuites

autofonce can only read testsuites that are in a subset of what GNU Autoconf allows. Indeed, testsuites for Autoconf are shell scripts with M4 macros inside. Instead, autofonce can only read a subset of known builtin M4 macros with a simpler syntax.

For the syntax, autofonce has the following limitations:

Macros should appear at toplevel, or within brackets inside other macros.
Scripts commands are only accepted within a test sequence (i.e. after AT_SETUP and before AT_CLEANUP), and should never exceed one line.

See the next section for advices on how to translate existing testsuites to be used by autofonce.

The following macros are understood at toplevel by autofonce:

AT_COPYRIGHT([copyright]): copyright notice of the testsuite
AT_INIT([testsuite-name]): name of the testsuite
AT_COLOR_TESTS: discarded
AT_TESTED([executables]): list of space separated commands
AT_BANNER([banner]): a banner separating tests
m4_include([file.at]): include macros from a file. autofonce will try to find the file withing a directory testsuite.src in the same directory.
AT_SETUP([test-name]): beginning of a test

The following macros are understood within a test (after AT_SETUP):

AT_KEYWORDS([keywords]): list of space separating keywords to select the test
AT_SKIP_IF([shell-condition]): currently, autofonce always skip such tests to avoid running the condition.
AT_DATA([file-name], [file-content]): create the corresponding file
AT_CAPTURE_FILE([file-name]): capture file in case of failure
AT_CHECK([shell-command], [retcode], [stdout], [stderr], [run-if-fail], [run-if-pass]): all arguments are optional except for the first one. run-if-fail and run-if-pass should always be specified within brackets (as otherwise, brackets within them would be removed).
AT_CLEANUP: end of test

Advices to port testsuites to `autofonce`

In general, using shell outside of macros should be avoided. autofonce has some support for single line shell commands, and if ... ; then / else / fi on different lines.

Toplevel shell commands: such commands should be completely avoided
Shell commands within tests: use AT_CHECK macros to execute such commands. For example:
```
sort < file1 > file2
```
should be translated into:
```
AT_CHECK([sort < file1 > file2])
```
Shell conditional execution. use AT_CHECK and its run-of-fail and run-if-pass parts to encode if ... then ... else.

For example:
```
if test "x" != "y" ; then
  ...THEN_MACROS...
else
  ...ELSE_MACROS...
fi
```
should be translated into:
```
AT_CHECK([test "x" != "y"], [1], [], [], [
  ...THEN_MACROS...
] , [
  ...ELSE_MACROS...
])
```
Pay attention to the fact that the order of fail/pass is the opposite for if-then-else and AT_CHECK, so we have to expect a result of [1] (failed test) to keep the same order.

Compatibility with Autoconf

Syntax of GNU Autoconf Testuites

Advices to port testsuites to autofonce

Advices to port testsuites to `autofonce`