BEFORE YOU LINK TO: Using the pkg-config macro PKG_CHECK_MODULES failing
this does not solve my solution. i do have pkg-config installed. when i type aclocal --print, the first thing it gives is main::scan_file() called too early to check prototype at /usr/local/bin/aclocal line 618. it does that too in ./bootstrap.
then it gives the directory /usr/local/share/aclocal
for one or another reason, the macro still doesnt work. i am on Artix linux (an Arch like distro), with automake 1.16.2-3 and pkg-conf 1.7.3-1. the output of ./configure, config.log and ./bootstrap are: https://pastebin.com/NY1GgtFF (configure), https://pastebin.com/iDAUXRv3 (config.log) and https://pastebin.com/aRVw00Ex (bootstrap)
the macro expansion fails no matter what. do you have any ideas? how would i set the m4_pattern_allow flag? this error occurs both at openbox, and lxterminal. i havent tried any other programs yet where i encounter this error, but i dont think it matters at which program it happens
i really hope i provided enough information, this is my first post, so i hope i did everything right
pkg-conf is not the same as pkg-config — the former is a low-deps reimplementation and does not come with the pkg.m4 file you need to have the macro installed.
If the software you're trying to build comes with a copy of pkg.m4 bundled in the repository and/or tarball, you may just need to add -I m4 to the invocation of aclocal, otherwise you need to fetch the pkg.m4 file from a pkg-config distribution.