MySQL Bugs: #38359: ./configure accepts invalid configuration options, and silently disable features

Bug #38359	./configure accepts invalid configuration options, and silently disable features
Submitted:	24 Jul 2008 23:58	Modified:	24 Jul 2013 15:16
Reporter:	Marc ALFF	Email Updates:
Status:	Won't fix	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Compiling	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	5.1	OS:	Any
Assigned to:	Marc ALFF	CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
The ./configure script generated by configure.in:
- accepts invalid configurations options
- generates inconsistent config.h files

It is possible that the generated configuration later:
- compiles properly
- links properly
and produce a binary that does *NOT* contain a feature that was specified
using "--with-FEATURE" or "--enable-FEATURE" in the ./configure command line.

How to repeat:
./configure --with-debug=no --enable-debug-sync
configure succeeds, it should have failed.

./configure --without-maria-storage-engine --with-maria-tmp-tables
configure succeeds, it should have failed.

./configure --without-embedded-server --with-embedded-privilege-control
configure succeeds, it should have failed.

./configure --disable-community-features --enable-profiling
configure succeeds, it should have failed.

Suggested fix:
When --with-FEATURE (or --enable-FEATURE) is specified in the command line,
the ./configure script should:

- either fail when a pre-requisite is not met, and explain what is missing in an error message

- or pass, and *guarantee* that the feature *is* enabled in the code.

For example, the following test in configure.in:

if test "$with_debug" = "no"
then
  if test "$enable_debug_sync" != "no"
  then
    AC_MSG_ERROR([The option --enable-debug-sync requires --with-debug])
  fi
fi

ensures that:
  ./configure --with-debug=no --enable-debug-sync
fails as follows:
  configure: error: The option --enable-debug-sync requires --with-debug
which is the correct result (configurations errors should be caught at ./configure time).

This is a feature request: The user is responsible for using correct options.

"Won't fix" as autotools builds were discontinued?

Indeed, autotools are not used anymore, as the build now uses CMAKE.

Changing this bug to won't fix.

Thanks for adding the comment ... email notification still works, so I got the update.

-- Marc Alff.