If you want to get started with autotools, try to build yourself a minimal autotools project. Once you have a working stub, you already took the biggest hurdle.

You only need to focus on two files: configure.ac, where you check for features, and Makefile.am, where you list your build targets and their sources. You can also write normal Makefile rules there.

After editing these files, run `autreconf -fi` to create/update the configure and Makefile script. Then run

    ./configure
    make

to build your project. Have a look at Appendix A/Basic Autotoolization on the submitted website or checkout libabc by Poettering/Sievers:

1. https://autotools.io/whosafraid.html#idm117385102076160

2. http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/libabc.html