The `MOZ_WINCONSOLE` env var is used to determine whether the application being built should be built as a console app or as a Windows app [1]. In some files, `MOZ_WINCONSOLE` is used as a preprocessor definition [2][3][4]. Setting up the preprocessor definition requires modifying the makefile of each module that wants to use the definition, e.g. [5]. In some cases we are not doing this correctly. For example, in browser/app/nsBrowserApp.cpp, it is currently impossible for the `#ifdef MOZ_WINCONSOLE` branch to be compiled. The attached patch changes config.mk to set up the preprocessor definition `MOZ_WINCONSOLE` if the env var is 1. [1] https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/config/config.mk?rev=88aaf6c529b9#583 [2] https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/xulrunner/stub/nsXULStub.cpp?rev=a15d75939cd5#56 [3] https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/xulrunner/app/nsXULRunnerApp.cpp?rev=3f408698a03f#52 [4] https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/browser/app/nsBrowserApp.cpp?rev=601e2a3564ac#46 [5] https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/xulrunner/app/Makefile.in#60

Can you just push this all the way up to an AC_DEFINE in configure.in instead?

I'm not entirely sure how to use `AC_DEFINE`. Ted: Does this look right?

This is running through try: https://tbpl.mozilla.org/?tree=Try&rev=25459b473e77

https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/mozilla-inbound/rev/95992c6312e3 For some reason, hg.mozilla.org is showing that changeset as blank but browsing to the files in it show that the changes have in fact been applied

Comment on attachment 644005 [details] [diff] [review] Patch v2 This doesn't actually help, because it doesn't make MOZ_WINCONSOLE default to the value of MOZ_DEBUG. So you still build the app with a console, but it's the MessageBox version Output function that gets compiled. Additionally if you set MOZ_WINCONSOLE during configure, but then later rebuild from a different shell where you forgot to set MOZ_WINCONSOLE, then the Makefile will invoke the MOZ_DEBUG default behaviour, but Output continues to get compiled with the remembered MOZ_WINCONSOLE setting.

(In reply to neil@parkwaycc.co.uk from comment #6) > Comment on attachment 644005 [details] [diff] [review] > Patch v2 > > This doesn't actually help, because it doesn't make MOZ_WINCONSOLE default > to the value of MOZ_DEBUG. So you still build the app with a console, but > it's the MessageBox version Output function that gets compiled. It sounds like this is probably a separate issue: This patch helps in the sense that setting the MOZ_WINCONSOLE env var now affects the MOZ_WINCONSOLE preprocessor definition. If we want MOZ_WINCONSOLE to default to the value of MOZ_DEBUG, shouldn't that be a separate bug? > Additionally if you set MOZ_WINCONSOLE during configure, but then later > rebuild from a different shell where you forgot to set MOZ_WINCONSOLE, then > the Makefile will invoke the MOZ_DEBUG default behaviour, but Output > continues to get compiled with the remembered MOZ_WINCONSOLE setting. Is the situation different for other "env var -> preprocessor define"s (e.g. MOZ_METRO)? How do we avoid this issue for those?