[GHC] #7979: ./configure script does not properly detect missing header files

[GHC]

#7979: ./configure script does not properly detect missing header files
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Reporter:  jstolarek         |          Owner:                  
    Type:  bug               |         Status:  new             
Priority:  normal            |      Component:  Build System    
 Version:  7.6.3             |       Keywords:                  
      Os:  Unknown/Multiple  |   Architecture:  Unknown/Multiple
 Failure:  None/Unknown      |      Blockedby:                  
Blocking:                    |        Related:                  
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Comment(by emanuel):

 Replying to [comment:2 jstolarek]:
 > Looks like you're right, but the problem is that despite detecting that
 header files are missing the script doesn't report that as an error. I am
 strongly convinced that it should - after all that's what configure script
 is for!

 Please look at configure.ac in terminfo library, there you can find:

 {{{
 ...

 AC_CHECK_HEADER(ncurses.h, CursesIncludes='ncurses.h',
     [AC_CHECK_HEADER(curses.h, CursesIncludes='curses.h',
 HaveCursesH=NO)])

 ...

 if test "x$HaveCursesH" = xNO ; then
     AC_MSG_FAILURE([curses headers could not be found, so this package
 cannot be built])
 else
     TERMINFO_INCLUDES="$CursesIncludes term.h"
 fi

 ...
 }}}

 It checks for headers (and then it checks for the library). If it fails,
 then you will see this error message:

 {{{
 configure: error: curses headers could not be found, so this package
 cannot be built
 }}}

 Everything is fine here. You have your error message. The strange thing
 is, that you posted configure output with an error at the end, and you
 claim, that this error message doesn't exist.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/7979#comment:3>
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