stow release 2.2.0 install fails because no ChangeLog created because not a git repository

[Corin-EU]

On downloading latest release stow 2.2.0 tar.gz file, unpacking, autoreconf -fiv to generate configure, followed by ./configure --prefix=/usr/local, make, and then

make prefix=/usr/local/stow/Utilities/stow-2.2.0  install
 Not in a git repository; can't update ChangeLog.
 make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/build/stow-2.2.0'
  /bin/mkdir -p '/usr/local/stow/Utilities/stow-2.2.0/bin'
  /usr/bin/install -c bin/stow bin/chkstow '/usr/local/stow/Utilities/stow-2.2.0/bin'
 Not in a git repository; can't update ChangeLog.
  /bin/mkdir -p '/usr/local/stow/Utilities/stow-2.2.0/share/doc/stow'
  /usr/bin/install -c -m 644 README doc/manual.pdf doc/manual-single.html doc/version.texi ./ChangeLog doc/ChangeLog.OLD '/usr/local/stow/Utilities/stow-2.2.0/share/doc/stow'
 /usr/bin/install: cannot stat './ChangeLog': No such file or directory
 make[1]: *** [install-dist_docDATA] Error 1
 make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/build/stow-2.2.0'
 make: *** [install-am] Error 2

Surely it should be possible to build and install from the latest relase tar file without such an error?

[aspiers]

I cannot reproduce this. There should be no good reason for make to try to rebuild the ChangeLog shipped in the 2.2.0 release .tar.gz file, since the Makefile only declares a dependency on doc/ChangeLog.OLD which is older:

-rw-rw-r-- 500/500        7026 2011-11-26 16:34 stow-2.2.0/doc/ChangeLog.OLD
-rw-r--r-- 500/500       39590 2012-02-18 20:34 stow-2.2.0/ChangeLog

So it sounds to me like something failed to preserve the timestamps when you unpacked the .tar.gz. Can you try unpacking again and check these timestamps? If ChangeLog.OLD is older (as it should be), please run make with the -d option to determine why make is trying to rebuild it.

[aspiers]

No response, so closing.

[losvald]

This happens to me when I clone using --separate-git-dir, and follow the Autotools installation instructions (autoreconf -i && ./configure && make).

[aspiers]

@losvald Building from git is an entirely different scenario to the one reported in this issue, which was about building from the 2.2.0 release tarball. Please can you file a separate issue for your problem, giving details of the exact commands you used, and corresponding output? Thanks!

[aspiers]

Filed as #20 in the absence of a response.