@node Vala Support
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Vala Support
-@cindex Vala Support
+@cindex Vala support
@cindex Support for Vala
+@cindex GNU Make, required by Vala
-Automake provides initial support for Vala
-(@uref{https://www.vala-project.org/}).
-This requires valac version 0.7.0 or later, and currently requires
-the user to use GNU @command{make}.
+Automake supports Vala (@uref{https://vala.dev/}).
+Vala support requires the user to use GNU @command{make}.
@example
foo_SOURCES = foo.vala bar.vala zardoz.c
@end example
Any @file{.vala} file listed in a @code{_SOURCES} variable will be
-compiled into C code by the Vala compiler. The generated @file{.c} files
-are distributed. The end user does not need to have a Vala compiler installed.
+compiled into C code by the Vala compiler. The generated @file{.c}
+files are distributed. The end user does not need to have a Vala
+compiler installed.
+
+Because all C files must be generated, and the Vala compiler compiles
+all the @file{.vala} files for a target at once, it is not possible to
+add files to a @code{_SOURCES} variable that cannot be compiled
+together; for example, alternative platform-specific definitions of
+the same methods.
Automake ships with an Autoconf macro called @code{AM_PROG_VALAC}
that will locate the Vala compiler and optionally check its version