i’m having the following problem when using automake to ‘make dist’. Below is a snap shot of the error being reported by the compiler. I’m using Debian 10.5, with the default compiler version 8.0.3; autoconf 2.69; automake 1.16.1, libtool 2.4.6

######## Problem ########

[email protected]:~/XerlangCPL2$ make dist
make  dist-gzip am__post_remove_distdir='@:'
make[1]: Entering directory '/home/aperri/XerlangCPL2'
make  distdir-am
make[2]: Entering directory '/home/aperri/XerlangCPL2'
make[2]: *** No rule to make target 'bootstrap', needed by 'distdir-am'.  Stop.
make[2]: Leaving directory '/home/aperri/XerlangCPL2'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:633: distdir] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/aperri/XerlangCPL2'
make: *** [Makefile:710: dist] Error 2 

I’m including my configure.ac and makefile.am in this message with the hope that there is a solution to this problem

######## configure.ac ########

#                                               -*- Autoconf -*-
# Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.

AC_PREREQ([2.69])
AC_INIT([XerlangCPL], [1.0], [[email protected]])
AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/xmlPROC.cpp])
AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([config.h])
AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])

# Enable "automake" to simplify creating Makefiles
AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.16.1 subdir-objects -Wall -Werror])
m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES], [AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])])


# Checks for programs.
AC_PROG_CC
AC_PROG_CXXCPP
AC_PROG_CXX
# Used in conjuction with {TARGET}_CPPFLAGS = -DDEBUG in Makefile.am
AM_PROG_CC_C_O

# Checks for libraries.
AX_BOOST_BASE([1.67], [], AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not find a useful version of boost]))
AX_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
AX_BOOST_SYSTEM
AX_BOOST_PROGRAM_OPTIONS
AX_BOOST_REGEX
# AX_BOOST_DATE_TIME
# AX_BOOST_THREAD

# Checks for header files.

# Checks for typedefs, structures, and compiler characteristics.

# Checks for library functions
PKG_CHECK_MODULES(libxml, libxml++-2.6 >= 2.10.0 )


AC_CHECK_PROGS([DOXYGEN], [doxygen])
if test -z "$DOXYGEN";
   then AC_MSG_WARN([Doxygen not found - continuing without Doxygen support])
fi
AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_DOXYGEN], [test -n "$DOXYGEN"])
AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile doc/Doxyfile])

# AM_CONDITIONAL([DEBUG], [test x$debug = xtrue])
# AC_ARG_WITH(debug, [  --with-debug  add the debugging module], [AC_DEFINE(WITH_DEBUG,1,0)
# AC_SUBST(WITH_DEBUG,1)
# CXXFLAGS="-O0 -ggdb"])


AC_OUTPUT

echo "
  XErlang Compiler ($PACKAGE_NAME) version $PACKAGE_VERSION
  Prefix.........: $prefix
  Debug Build....: $debug
  C++ Compiler...: $CXX $CXXFLAGS $CPPFLAGS
  Linker.........: $LD $LDFLAGS $LIBS
"
######## makefile.am ########

ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4 --install

bin_PROGRAMS = xerlangCPL
xerlangCPL_SOURCES = 
    src/xmlPROC.cpp 
    src/xml_structs.h 
    src/debug.h 
    src/conxsTracker.cpp 
    src/conxs_tracker.h 
    src/xmlConxsParser.cpp 
    src/oven_control


xerlangCPL_LDFLAGS = -DDEBUG 
                     $(libxml_LIBS) 
                     $(BOOST_LDFLAGS) 
                     $(BOOST_SYSTEM_LDFLAGS) 
                     $(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_LDFLAGS) 
                     $(BOOST_PROGRAM_OPTIONS_LDFLAGS)

xerlangCPL_CPPFLAGS = $(libxml_CFLAGS) 
                      $(BOOST_CPPFLAGS)


xerlangCPL_LIBS = $(BOOST_SYSTEM_LIBS) 
                  $(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_LIBS) 
                  $(BOOST_PROGRAM_OPTIONS_LIBS)

xerlangCPL_CXXFLAGS = -lboost_filesystem -ldl -lboost_system

# start of Doxygen section
if HAVE_DOXYGEN

doxyfile.stamp:
    $(DOXYGEN) $(top_srcdir)/doc/Doxyfile
    echo Timestamp > [email protected]


CLEANFILES = $(top_srcdir)/doxyfile.stamp

# all-local: doxyfile.stamp
all-local: doxyfile.stamp
# clean-local:
#     rm -rf $(top_srcdir)/
endif

EXTRA_DIST = bootstrap m4/NOTES 

The problem could be related to the inclusion of Boost Modules or the lack of them.

Source: Windows Questions C++