1.autoscan (autoconf): 掃描源代碼以搜尋普通的可移植性問題，比如檢查編譯器，庫，頭文件等，生成文件configure.scan,它是configure.ac的一個雛形。
your source files --> [autoscan*] --> [configure.scan] --> configure.ac
2.aclocal (automake):根據已經安裝的宏，用戶定義宏和acinclude.m4文件中的宏將configure.ac文件所需要的宏集中定義到文件 aclocal.m4中。aclocal是一個perl 腳本程序，它的定義是：“aclocal - create aclocal.m4 by scanning configure.ac”
user input files optional input process output files
================ ============== ======= ============
acinclude.m4 - - - - -.
V
.-------,
configure.ac ------------------------>|aclocal|
{user macro files} ->| |------> aclocal.m4
`-------'
3.autoheader(autoconf): 根據configure.ac中的某些宏，比如cpp宏定義，運行m4，聲稱config.h.in
user input files optional input process output files
================ ============== ======= ============
aclocal.m4 - - - - - - - .
|
V
.----------,
configure.ac ----------------------->|autoheader|----> autoconfig.h.in
`----------'
4.automake: automake將Makefile.am中定義的結構建立Makefile.in，然后configure腳本將生成的Makefile.in文件轉換 為Makefile。如果在configure.ac中定義了一些特殊的宏，比如AC_PROG_LIBTOOL，它會調用libtoolize，否則它 會自己產生config.guess和config.sub
user input files optional input processes output files
================ ============== ========= ============
.--------,
| | - - -> COPYING
| | - - -> INSTALL
| |------> install-sh
| |------> missing
|automake|------> mkinstalldirs
configure.ac ----------------------->| |
Makefile.am ----------------------->| |------> Makefile.in
| |------> stamp-h.in
.---+ | - - -> config.guess
| | | - - -> config.sub
| `------+-'
| | - - - -> config.guess
|libtoolize| - - - -> config.sub
| |--------> ltmain.sh
| |--------> ltconfig
`----------'
5.autoconf:將configure.ac中的宏展開，生成configure腳本。這個過程可能要用到aclocal.m4中定義的宏。
user input files optional input processes output files
================ ============== ========= ============
aclocal.m4 ,autoconfig.h.in - - - - - - -.
V
.--------,
configure.ac ----------------------->|autoconf|------> configure
6. ./configure的過程
.-------------> [config.cache]
configure* --------------------------+-------------> config.log
|
[config.h.in] -. v .--> [autoconfig.h]
+-------> config.status* -+
Makefile.in ---' `--> Makefile
7. make過程
[autoconfig.h] -.
+--> make* ---> 程序
Makefile ---'
.---------,
config.site - - ->| |
config.cache - - ->|configure| - - -> config.cache
| +-,
`-+-------' |
| |----> config.status
config.h.in ------->|config- |----> config.h
Makefile.in ------->| .status|----> Makefile
| |----> stamp-h
| +--,
.-+ | |
| `------+--' |
ltmain.sh ------->|ltconfig|-------> libtool
| | |
`-+------' |
|config.guess|
| config.sub |
`------------'
.--------,
Makefile ------>| |
config.h ------>| make |
{project sources} ---------------->| |--------> {project targets}
.-+ +--,
| `--------' |
| libtool |
| missing |
| install-sh |
|mkinstalldirs|
`-------------'
實例
：在/hello/目錄下創建一個hello.c文件，并編譯運行它：#cd /hello/
(1) 編寫源文件hello.c：
#include<stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
printf("Hello, GNU!n");
return 0;
}
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ ll
total 4
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 68 Aug 12 12:02 hello.c
一、autoscan
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ autoscan
autom4te: configure.ac: no such file or directory
autoscan: /usr/bin/autom4te failed with exit status: 1
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ ll
total 8
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 0 Aug 12 12:03 autoscan.log
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 457 Aug 12 12:03 configure.scan
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 68 Aug 12 12:02 hello.c
已經生成了configure.scan，autoscan.log文件
將configure.scan 修改為 configure.in，最后修改的內容如下：
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ mv configure.scan configure.in
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ vim configure.in
# -*- Autoconf -*-
# Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
AC_PREREQ(2.59)
AC_INIT(FULL-PACKAGE-NAME, VERSION, BUG-REPORT-ADDRESS)
AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([hello.c])
#AC_CONFIG_HEADER([config.h])
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(hello, 1.0)
# Checks for programs.
AC_PROG_CC
# Checks for libraries.
# Checks for header files.
# Checks for typedefs, structures, and compiler characteristics.
# Checks for library functions.
AC_OUTPUT(Makefile)
二、acloacl
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ aclocal
生成 aclocal.m4 和 autom4te.cache (生成aclocal.m4的過程中涉及到configure.in)
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ ll
total 44
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 31120 Aug 12 12:08 aclocal.m4
drwxr-xr-x 2 litao litao 4096 Aug 12 12:08 autom4te.cache
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 0 Aug 12 12:03 autoscan.log
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 496 Aug 12 12:08 configure.in
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 68 Aug 12 12:02 hello.c
三、antoconf
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ autoconf
生成 configure (根據 configure.in, 和 aclocal.m4)
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ lltotal 168-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 31120 Aug 12 12:08 aclocal.m4drwxr-xr-x 2 litao litao 4096 Aug 12 12:11 autom4te.cache-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 0 Aug 12 12:03 autoscan.log-rwxrwxr-x 1 litao litao 122297 Aug 12 12:11 configure-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 496 Aug 12 12:08 configure.in-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 68 Aug 12 12:02 hello.c四、編寫Makefile.am：AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS= foreign
bin_PROGRAMS= hello
hello_SOURCES= hello.c
五、automake生成 Makefile.in， depcomp， install-sh， 和 missing (根據 Makefile.am, 和 aclocal.m4)
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ automake
configure.in: required file `./install-sh' not found
configure.in: required file `./missing' not found
Makefile.am: required file `./depcomp' not found
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ automake --add-missing
configure.in: installing `./install-sh'
configure.in: installing `./missing'
Makefile.am: installing `./depcomp'
[litao@vm0000131 hello]$ ll
total 192
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 31120 Aug 12 12:08 aclocal.m4
drwxr-xr-x 2 litao litao 4096 Aug 12 12:14 autom4te.cache
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 0 Aug 12 12:03 autoscan.log
-rwxrwxr-x 1 litao litao 122297 Aug 12 12:11 configure
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 496 Aug 12 12:08 configure.in
lrwxrwxrwx 1 litao litao 31 Aug 12 12:16 depcomp -> /usr/share/automake-1.9/depcomp
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 68 Aug 12 12:02 hello.c
lrwxrwxrwx 1 litao litao 34 Aug 12 12:16 install-sh -> /usr/share/automake-1.9/install-sh
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 69 Aug 12 12:15 Makefile.am
-rw-rw-r-- 1 litao litao 16561 Aug 12 12:16 Makefile.in
lrwxrwxrwx 1 litao litao 31 Aug 12 12:16 missing -> /usr/share/automake-1.9/missing
六、configure
生成 Makefile， config.log， 和 config.status
轉自：http://hi.baidu.com/litaosmile/blog/item/0c5562139fe5ced9f6039ee3.html