GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool

22.3. Guidelines for Writing Macros

You should follow some guidelines when writing a macro. The criteria for a well-written macro are that it should be easy to use, well documented, and, most importantly, portable. Portability is a difficult problem that requires much anticipation on the part of the macro writer. This section discusses the design considerations for using a static Autoconf test at compile time versus a test at runtime. It also covers some of the characteristics of a good macro, including noninteractive behavior, properly formatted output, and a clean interface for the user of the macro.