HAHA! okay, you made your [EDIT] so this isn't so relevant now..
hehe.. but yes, it seems you are understanding it more properly now.
.. Now if I change a single source file and want to recompile / link, what sort of script should I run? Just the ../bootstrap and ../configure then "make" or just type "make". I mean what should be run to prevent having to recompile all the object files?
first let us talk about the initial building part, and then you can do something here, because it depends on the situation. For example if you change the files of a non-built-in plugin module you only have to type make in that modules directory... but there are a variation of possibilities for this idea so don't think about that for now.
I think you might be trying to make too many steps of the process. Here are the steps. There are only 2 after you have installed the source and contrib package and created your initiation script. These are the steps, roughly like this(where your initialization script is named "setup-my-vlc-distro-for-making"):
in the vlc-trunk directory from within bash:
1. run the initialization script you have created and placed in your own directory, the parent directory of where you are now.
../setup-my-vlc-distro-for-making
2. make it.
make
next you could run the program and have fun:
./vlc
But, to further clarify that, let us look further at this part. And all this should be the same as 1 and 2 that I have just mentioned:
In regards to bootstrapping, configure; Am I supposed to run the ./bootstrap script then the ./configure script in the vlc-trunk first. Then reboot, create a bootstrap, and configure script file for my parent directory of the vlc-trunk which contains the items like I listed before. My created bootstrap file containing my CPPFLAGS , LDFLAGS, CC defines and my configure script file containing my options for the actual compile / make as described. Then I should be able to go to the vlc-trunk directory and type ../bootstrap for the bootstrap invocation and ../configure for the configure invocation. After all is done, I can then type "make" and wait for the VLC to be created.
A more direct statement should be like this:
In regards to bootstrapping, configure; I will run the pre-packaged ./bootstrap script then the ./configure script that the developers have already provided in the vlc-trunk first. And I will do this by only invoking the 1 and only file I have created. I have already created the file and placed this file in my home directory, the parent directory of the vlc-trunk. I named the file "sha-zam". And, within the file contains only the 2 calls to invoke the pre-defined bootstrap and configuration scripts that were provided in the source code already. And, of course the "sha-zam" script I have created also contains appropriate variables that will be passed to vlc's bootstrap and configuration scripts, which I call, such as some typical CPPFLAGS , LDFLAGS, CC and more such as the --enable-release flag. After I run my sha-zam script I will type make.
Also, to say all that another way, here are some clarifications:
I will never go to the vlc-trunk directory and type ../bootstrap or ../configure.
I will never go to the vlc-trunk directory and type ./bootstrap or ./configure.
I will only go to the vlc-trunk directory and type ../sha-zam and my sha-zam file looks like this:
./bootstrap &&
CPPFLAGS="-I/usr/win32/include -I/usr/win32/include/ebml"
LDFLAGS=-L/usr/win32/lib
CC="gcc -mno-cygwin" CXX="g++ -mno-cygwin"
./configure
--disable-sdl --disable-gtk
--enable-nls
--enable-ffmpeg --with-ffmpeg-mp3lame --with-ffmpeg-faac
--with-ffmpeg-zlib --enable-faad --enable-flac --enable-theora
--with-wx-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--with-freetype-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--with-fribidi-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--enable-livedotcom --with-livedotcom-tree=/usr/win32/live.com
--enable-caca --with-caca-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--with-xml2-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--with-dvdnav-config-path=/usr/win32/bin
--disable-cddax --disable-vcdx --enable-goom
--enable-toolame --enable-dvdread
--enable-optimizations
--enable-release
So, after you have invoked the provided bootstrap and configuration scripts via running your own shazam script, then typing make would be appropriate.
Do you follow this part where I say you are not creating bootstrap or configure yourself?
Just remember, think of the whole thing as 2 parts:
1. invoke your own initializer script(called "sha-zam", or "setup-my-vlc-distro-for-making" or anything else but not called bootstrap or configure) which handles the entire 2 hours worth of bootstrapping and configurationing. (a further note is to say again that you will never type bootstrap or configure directly in the bash shell because it is already typed in your script).
2. invoke make