Unclear failures in autotools build

[mahrud]

Since #4153, it's really hard to tell what's failing in the autotools build. For instance, what is failing here?

: installing package Book3264Examples
/usr/bin/install -c -d Book3264Examples-temporary
make: Entering directory `/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages/Book3264Examples-temporary'
cd Book3264Examples-temporary && /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/aarch64-Darwin-MacOS-15.7.4/bin/M2  -q --stop --silent --no-preload -e errorDepth=0 -e debugLevel=0  -e "installPackage(\"Book3264Examples\", MakeDocumentation => true, MakeHTML => true, MakeInfo => true, MakePDF => false, RemakeAllDocumentation => false, IgnoreExampleErrors => false, RerunExamples => false, CheckDocumentation => true, UserMode => false, Verbose => false, InstallPrefix => \"/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/\", SeparateExec => true, DebuggingMode => true); exit 0"
 -- 1.9511s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "qsAlgorithm"                              -- .218327s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "qsIsomorphism"                            -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "qsIsomorphism"                               -- capturing example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.3"        -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.3"           -- 1.94973s elapsed
 -- 2.66696s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.4"        -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.4"           -- 2.53047s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.1-2"      -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "Intersection Theory Section 5.4.1-2"         -- warning: missing node: getMaxIdeal(...,Verbose=>...) cited by getMaxIdeal
 -- warning: missing node: patch(...,Verbose=>...) cited by patch
 -- warning: missing node: changeVar(...,Verbose=>...) cited by changeVar
 -- warning: missing node: completeMatrix(...,Verbose=>...) cited by completeMatrix
 -- 2.33256s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "Intersection Theory Section 4.1"          -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "Intersection Theory Section 4.1"             -- warning: missing node: qsAlgorithm(...,Verbose=>...) cited by qsAlgorithm
 -- warning: missing node: computeFreeBasis(...,Verbose=>...) cited by computeFreeBasis
 -- warning: missing node: qsIsomorphism(...,Verbose=>...) cited by qsIsomorphism
make: Leaving directory `/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages/QuillenSuslin-temporary'
ls -l QuillenSuslin-temporary
total 0
rm -rf QuillenSuslin-temporary
if [ -e /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/common/share/info/QuillenSuslin.info ]; then install-info --info-dir=/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/common/share/info /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/common/share/info/QuillenSuslin.info; fi
: installing package WeilDivisors
/usr/bin/install -c -d WeilDivisors-temporary
make: Entering directory `/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages/WeilDivisors-temporary'
cd WeilDivisors-temporary && /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/aarch64-Darwin-MacOS-15.7.4/bin/M2  -q --stop --silent --no-preload -e errorDepth=0 -e debugLevel=0  -e "installPackage(\"WeilDivisors\", MakeDocumentation => true, MakeHTML => true, MakeInfo => true, MakePDF => false, RemakeAllDocumentation => false, IgnoreExampleErrors => false, RerunExamples => false, CheckDocumentation => true, UserMode => false, Verbose => false, InstallPrefix => \"/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/\", SeparateExec => true, DebuggingMode => true); exit 0"
 -- 2.31351s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "Intersection Theory Section 4.2"          -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "Intersection Theory Section 4.2"            ../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:400:20:(1):[15]: error: can't convert symbol 'Safe' to external string because it is shadowed by 'Safe' and there is no synonym
../../../../../Macaulay2/packages/TestIdeals/frobeniusPowers.m2:98:35-98:39: here is the first use of 'Safe'
-* invalid file position *-: here is the first use of 'Safe'
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/nets.m2:85:98:(1):[13]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/nets.m2:85:33:(1):[12]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/packages.m2:593:53:(1):[10]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:755:44:(1):[9]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:752:12:(1):[8]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[7]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[6]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:668:18:(1):[5]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[4]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[3]: --back trace--
currentString:1:14:(3):[2]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/startup.m2.in:557:36:(0):[1]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/startup.m2.in:635:41:(2): --back trace--
make[2]: *** [Makefile:108: /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/aarch64-Darwin-MacOS-15.7.4/lib/Macaulay2/WeilDivisors/.installed] Error 1
make[2]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
 -- 2.04219s elapsed

[mahrud]

Here's another example: you would the example for "OO ToricDivisor" succeeded in .112181s and "project(AbstractPoint,ZZ)" failed, but really some other example finished and "project(AbstractPoint,ZZ)" started before "OO ToricDivisor" could indicate that it failed, then the error for "OO ToricDivisor" is printed just after "torMap":

 -- capturing example results for "OO ToricDivisor"                          -- .112181s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "project(AbstractPoint,ZZ)"                -- capture failed; retrying ...
 -- making example results for "OO ToricDivisor"                             -- .12499s elapsed
 -- capturing example results for "generalEquations"                         -- .116738s elapsed
...
 -- capturing example results for "torMap"                                   -- running failed
 -- error log:  /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/common/share/doc/Macaulay2/NormalToricVarieties/example-output/___O__O_sp__Toric__Divisor.errors:0:1:(3):[14]: stdio:4:25:(3):[2]: error: key not found in hash table:
 --         cache (of class Symbol)
 -- 
 -- input code: /var/folders/tb/y368xp_x10s3ty1b_mtl5mxr0000gn/T/M2-95647-0/0___O__O_sp__Toric__Divisor.m2:0:1
*** error: M2 exited with status code 1 -- 3.23542s elapsed
...
 -- making example results for "stellarSubdivision"                          -- 1.45738s elapsed

 -- Summary: 1 example(s) failed in package NormalToricVarieties:
 -- OO ToricDivisor  ../../../../../Macaulay2/packages/NormalToricVarieties/DivisorsDocumentation.m2:1559:0
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:783:18:(1):[8]: error: installPackage: 1 error(s) occurred in running examples for package NormalToricVarieties
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[7]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[6]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:668:18:(1):[5]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[4]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[3]: --back trace--
currentString:1:14:(3):[2]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/startup.m2.in:557:36:(0):[1]: --back trace--
../../../../../Macaulay2/m2/startup.m2.in:635:41:(2): --back trace--
make[2]: *** [Makefile:108: /Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/aarch64-Darwin-MacOS-15.7.4/lib/Macaulay2/NormalToricVarieties/.installed] Error 1
make[2]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
...
make[2]: Leaving directory '/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:15: all-in-packages] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2'
make: *** [Makefile:56: all-in-Macaulay2] Error 2
make: Leaving directory '/Users/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build'

Also, notice that in this error there are 5 places where *** is printed (this is helpful for searching for the first error. But in the test from the previous example (in the main issue body) there's no *** printed from M2 itself.

This is also missing in the CMake error for the same failure:

[110/294] Installing package WeilDivisors
FAILED: [code=1] Macaulay2/packages/CMakeFiles/install-WeilDivisors usr-dist/x86_64-Linux-Ubuntu-24.04/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/Macaulay2/WeilDivisors/.installed /home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages/CMakeFiles/install-WeilDivisors /home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/x86_64-Linux-Ubuntu-24.04/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/Macaulay2/WeilDivisors/.installed 
cd /home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/Macaulay2/packages && /home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/x86_64-Linux-Ubuntu-24.04/bin/M2 -q --stop --silent --no-preload --no-threads -e errorDepth=1 -e debugLevel=0 -e "installPackage(\"WeilDivisors\", Verbose => false, RerunExamples => false, CheckDocumentation => true, IgnoreExampleErrors => false, RemakeAllDocumentation => false, InstallPrefix => \"/home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/\", UserMode => false, SeparateExec => true, DebuggingMode => true)" -e "\"info-\"|\"WeilDivisors\" << #WeilDivisors#\"test inputs\" << close" -e "exit 0" && gzip -nf9 /home/runner/work/M2/M2/M2/BUILD/build/usr-dist/common/share/info/WeilDivisors.info
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:400:20:(1):[15]: error: can't convert symbol 'Safe' to external string because it is shadowed by 'Safe' and there is no synonym
../../../../Macaulay2/packages/TestIdeals/frobeniusPowers.m2:98:35-98:39: here is the first use of 'Safe'
-* invalid file position *-: here is the first use of 'Safe'
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/nets.m2:85:98:(1):[13]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/nets.m2:85:33:(1):[12]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/packages.m2:593:53:(1):[10]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:755:44:(1):[9]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:752:12:(1):[8]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[7]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[6]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/installPackage.m2:668:18:(1):[5]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/methods.m2:154:98:(1):[4]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/option.m2:17:14:(1):[3]: --back trace--
currentString:1:14:(3):[2]: --back trace--
../../../../Macaulay2/m2/startup.m2.in:635:41:(2): --back trace--