Description of problem: Sometimes rpmbuild do does not do expand with %if %with(...) Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): rpm-build-4.4.2.3-18.el5 How reproducible: 100% Steps to Reproduce: 1. cat > test.spec # for testing %bcond_without alternatives %{!?_extension:%define _extension .gz} Name: test Version: 1.0 Release: 1%{?dist} Summary: Just a test Group: Testing License: BSD BuildRoot: %{_tmppath}/%{name}-%{version}-%{release}-root-%(%{__id_u} -n) %description Just a Joke %prep true %build true %install rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT install -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_infodir} #%if %{?with_alternatives:1}%{!?with_alternatives:0} %if %with(alternatives) echo ft | gzip > $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_infodir}/gperf-ace.info%{_extension} %endif %clean rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT %files %defattr(-,root,root,-) %doc %{_infodir}/gperf-ace.info%{_extension} %changelog 2. rpmbuild -bb test.spec Actual results: error: File not found: /var/tmp/test-1.0-1.el5-root-root/usr/share/info/gperf-ace.info%{_extension} Expected results: rpmbuild expand the correct result: /var/tmp/test-1.0-1.el5-root-root/usr/share/info/gperf-ace.info.gz Additional info: replace '%if %with(alternatives)' with '%if %{?with_alternatives:1}%{!?with_alternatives:0}' could temporaryly fix this proble. replace '%if %with(alternatives)' with '%if %{?with_alternatives:1}%{!?with_alternatives:0}' could temporaryly fix this problem. replace '%{!?_extension:%define _extension .gz}' with '%{!?_extension:%global _extension .gz}' could temporaryly fix this problem.
There's a indeed a bug here but it's not what you think it is... Macros are scoped so the _extension %define only exists in the {} block of this line: %{!?_extension:%define _extension .gz} Or rather, it's *supposed* to only exist in that block, but due to an ages old bug in the macro engine, it doesn't get undefined until you call a (possibly completely unrelated) parametrized macro, %with() in this case. This is the correct way, not a workaround: %{!?_extension:%global _extension .gz} WONTFIX for RHEL 5 to avoid unnecessary breakage there, but fixed upstream now to enforce use of %global in such cases.