Linux From Scratch - Version 8.4-systemd-rc1

Chapter 6. Installing Basic System Software

6.14. M4-1.4.18

The M4 package contains a macro processor.

Approximate build time: 0.4 SBU
Required disk space: 33 MB

6.14.1. Installation of M4

First, make some fixes required by glibc-2.28: 

sed -i 's/IO_ftrylockfile/IO_EOF_SEEN/' lib/*.c
echo "#define _IO_IN_BACKUP 0x100" >> lib/stdio-impl.h

Prepare M4 for compilation: 

./configure --prefix=/usr

Compile the package: 

make

To test the results, issue: 

make check

Install the package: 

make install

6.14.2. Contents of M4

Installed program: m4

Short Descriptions

m4

Copies the given files while expanding the macros that they contain [These macros are either built-in or user-defined and can take any number of arguments. Besides performing macro expansion, m4 has built-in functions for including named files, running Unix commands, performing integer arithmetic, manipulating text, recursion, etc. The m4 program can be used either as a front-end to a compiler or as a macro processor in its own right.]