Add a function with extern "C" linkage about googletest HOT 10 CLOSED

Chandler, what do you think of this suggestion?

Alternatively one could use the autoconf macro AX_CXX_CHECK_LIB (http://ac-
archive.sourceforge.net/guidod/ax_cxx_check_lib.html)
i.e.
AX_CXX_CHECK_LIB( gtest, [testing::TestInfo::name() const] )

Certainly, projects using can use AX_CXX_CHECK_LIB to test for the presence of 
gtest.
 However, that macro is not part of the standard autoconf library, and many projects
may not be setup to use local macros.

The inclusion of gtest_version_cstr would be very simple, and shouldn't break 
anything.

r.w.johnstone, I don't have experience with autotools - would you like to 
submit a 
patch for me to review?  Thanks.

zhanyong.wan, the patch is more or less outlined in the original post that 
opened
this issue.  The goal is to simply provide a function with C linkage, which can 
be
found by autotools.  A new source file, simply version.c, with the following 
function:

extern "C" char const* gtest_version_cstr()
{
  static char const msg[] = "googletest 1.0.0";
  return msg;
}

The exact body of the function is actually secondary.

Lower the priority since autotools is being phased out.

@[email protected]
The version function is an improvement for uses of gtest that use autotools (or 
other build tools like scons). As I 
see it, it is not related to the build system used by gtest itself.

@dirk.mst, you are right that the two are different things.  That's why I didn't
close the issue as "won't fix".  Some users of gtest choose autotools because 
gtest
uses it.  After we switch away from autotools, such users won't have a reason 
to use
autotools any more.  Therefore the priority of this is lowered.

We now consider it a bad practice to install pre-compiled gtest -- see
http://code.google.com/p/googletest/wiki/FAQ?ts=1285613232&updated=FAQ#Why_is_it
_not_recommended_to_install_a_pre-compiled_copy_of_Goog

Therefore I'm closing this as "won't fix".