behavior of `compilation-error-regexp-alist'

[Denis Bueno <dbueno@gmail.com>]

All,

I've been trying to get Emacs to compile a C project using `compile'
and comint-mode, so that I can check the errors in the output of
`make'. The problem is that C-x ` doesn't display the next error, it
prints "Moved past last error" in the minibuffer and nothing in the
*compilation* buffer[1] is highlghted, even though there definitely
are errors.

I'm using gcc 4.0 (Apple) on 10.4.1. What puzzles me is that the
regexp in `compilation-error-regexp-alist-alist' for "gnu" matches an
error line in my make output:

  (string-match "^\\(?:[[:alpha:]][-[:alnum:].]+:
?\\)?\\([/.]*[a-zA-Z]:?[^ 	\n:]*\\|{standard input}\\):
?\\([0-9]+\\)\\([.:]?\\)\\([0-9]+\\)?\\(?:-\\(?:\\([0-9]+\\)\\3\\)?\\.?\\([0-9]+\\)?\\)?:\\(?:
*\\(\\(?:Future\\|Runtime\\)?[Ww]arning\\|W:\\)\\|
*\\([Ii]nfo\\(?:\\>\\|rmationa?l?\\)\\|I:\\)\\)?" "server.c:76: error:
'aoeu' undeclared (first use in this function)")
 => 0

as I think it should, and yet I'm seeing my symptoms. It must be that
the gnu regexp isn't being applied for some reason.

How should I proceed in debugging this? Do I need extra .emacs configuration?

Thanks in advance.

-Denis

[1]
The contents of the compilation buffer I'm referring to:

-*- mode: compilation; default-directory:
"~/cvswork/edu/cs4210/project/src/" -*-
make -k 
gcc -DOBFUSCATED_DEBUG -g -Wall -std=c99 -pedantic -o server.o -c server.c
server.c: In function 'server_loop':
server.c:76: error: 'aoeu' undeclared (first use in this function)
server.c:76: error: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once
server.c:76: error: for each function it appears in.)
make: *** [server.o] Error 1
make: Target `all' not remade because of errors.

Comint exited abnormally with code 2 at Sat Jun 11 10:11:46