Copyright © 1988- 1997  Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Published by the Free Software Foundation.

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ISBN: 1-882114-50-7

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The following documentation discusses GNU make, the utility for directing recompilation.

• Overview of make
• How to read this documentation
• Problems and bugs
• An introduction to makefiles
• What a rule looks like
• A simple makefile
• How make processes a makefile
• Variables make makefiles simpler
• Letting make deduce the commands
• Another style of makefile
• Rules for cleaning the directory
• Writing makefiles
• What makefiles contain
• What name to give your makefile
• Including other makefiles
• The variable, MAKEFILES
• How makefiles are remade
• Overriding part of another makefile
• Writing rules
• Rule syntax
• Using wildcard characters in file names
• Wildcard examples
• Pitfalls of using wildcards
• The function, wildcard
• Searching directories for dependencies
• VPATH: search path for all dependencies
• The vpath directive
• Writing shell Commands with directory search
• Directory search and implicit rules
• Directory search for link libraries
• Phony targets
• Rules without commands or dependencies
• Empty target files to record events
• Special built-in target names
• Multiple targets in a rule
• Multiple rules for one target
• Static pattern rules
• Syntax of static pattern rules
• Static pattern rules versus Implicit rules
• Double-colon rules
• Generating dependencies automatically
• Writing the commands in rules
• Command echoing
• Command execution
• Parallel execution
• Errors in commands
• Interrupting or killing make
• Recursive use of make
• How the MAKE variable works
• Communicating variables to a sub-make
• Communicating options to a sub-make
• The ‘--print-directory’ option
• Defining canned command sequences
• Using empty commands
• How to use variables
• Basics of variable references
• The two flavors of variables
• Advanced features for reference to variables
• Substitution references
• Computed variable names
• How variables get their values
• Setting variables
• Appending more text to variables
• The override directive
• Defining variables verbatim
• Variables from the environment
• Conditional parts of makefiles
• Example of a conditional
• Syntax of conditionals
• Conditionals that test flags
• Functions for transforming text
• Function call syntax
• Functions for string substitution and analysis
• Functions for file names
• The foreach function
• The origin function
• The shell function
• How to run make
• Arguments to specify the makefile
• Arguments to specify the goals
• Instead of executing the commands
• Avoiding recompilation of some files
• Overriding variables
• Testing the compilation of a program
• Summary of options
• Implicit rules
• Using implicit rules
• Catalogue of implicit rules
• Variables used by implicit rules
• Chains of implicit rules
• Defining and redefining Pattern rules
• Introduction to pattern rules
• Pattern rule examples
• Automatic variables
• How patterns match
• Match-anything pattern rules
• Canceling implicit rules
• Defining last-resort default rules
• Old-fashioned suffix rules
• Implicit rule search algorithm
• Using make to update archive files
• Archive members as targets
• Implicit rule for archive member targets
• Updating archive symbol directories
• Dangers when using archives
• Suffix rules for archive files
• Features of GNU make
• Incompatibilities and missing meatures
• Makefile conventions
• General conventions for makefiles
• Utilities in makefiles
• Standard targets for users
• Variables for specifying commands
• Variables for Installation Directories
• Quick reference
• Complex makefile example
• Index