Typically we have this in a Makefile
%.o:%.c
$(cc) $(flags) -o $# -c $<
When the amount of flags is huge, I feel better to write this instead
%.o:%.c
$(info $(cc): $< --> $#)
#$(cc) $(flags) -o $# -c $<
However it can be useful to sometime see everything. So I defined a variable for that:
at=#
%.o:%.c
$(info $(cc): $< --> $#)
$(at)$(cc) $(flags) -o $# -c $<
My question is how to properly, easily set or unset $(at) from the command line. I see two solutions:
$ make verbose all
$ make verbose=1 all
With the first solution I would do this
ifeq (,$(filter verbose,$(MAKECMDGOALS)))
at=#
dummy:=$(filter-out verbose,$(MAKECMDGOALS)))
endif
With the second I might do this
ifeq (,$(filter 1,$(verbose)))
at=#
endif
Is both solutions acceptable or can I do better?
I generally set up my makefiles like this:
Recipe lines that I know I will never want to see the commands reported begin with # (typically this is just any echo statements or other similar meta-statements).
All other recipe lines do NOT prefix with #.
I add the .SILENT: psuedo-target to make the output silent by default.
I prefix (or suffix) the .SILENT: psuedo-target with a variable reference, like $V.
So, something like this:
%.o: %.c
#echo '$(cc): $< --> $#'
$(cc) $(flags) -o $# -c $<
$V.SILENT:
Now by default V is not set, so the last line expands to the .SILENT special target and no recipe commands are shown. If I run make V=1 (or any other value) then the target expands to 1.SILENT: which is nothing special to make and so is essentially ignored, and all my commands that are NOT prefixed with # are printed.
Related
I am trying to use one Makefile with two similar targets and two separate build folders. The only difference between the targets is the addition of a CFLAG define.
Here is a snippet of what I have, however I can't get the build folder to evaluate to something different depending on the target. I used foo and bar to represent the different targets.
...
foo_BUILD_DIR := build_foo/
bar_BUILD_DIR := build_bar/
C_SRCS := main.c
CFLAGS := -std=c99 -Os -Wall
foo_CFLAGS := $(CFLAGS) -DBLE=1
C_OBJS := $(addprefix $(BUILD_DIR),$(subst .c,.o,$(C_SRCS)))
$(BUILD_DIR)%.o: %.c
#mkdir -p $(#D)
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $^ -o $#
foo:$(OBJS)
$(CC) $(OBJS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $#
bar:$(OBJS)
$(CC) $(OBJS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $#
You have three problems to solve here.
The first is building object files in the build directories. First we write a pattern rule to build foo objects:
foo_BUILD_DIR := build_foo # Don't put the trailing slash in the dir name, it's a pain.
CFLAGS := -std=c99 -Os -Wall
foo_CFLAGS := $(CFLAGS) -DBLE=1
$(foo_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: %.c
#mkdir -p $(#D)
$(CC) $(foo_CFLAGS) $^ -o $#
Once that's working perfectly, we write another rule for the bar objects:
$(bar_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: %.c
#mkdir -p $(#D)
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $^ -o $#
The second problem is tidying up what we've written so far. That foo_CFLAGS variable is now the only thing making these two recipes different, so let's get rid of it with a target-specific variable assignment:
$(foo_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: CFLAGS += -DBLE=1
$(foo_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: %.c
#mkdir -p $(#D)
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $^ -o $#
Now we can combine the rules into one pattern rule with two targets:
$(foo_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: CFLAGS += -DBLE=1
$(foo_BUILD_DIR)/%.o $(bar_BUILD_DIR)/%.o: %.c
#mkdir -p $(#D)
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $^ -o $#
The third problem is getting the foo and bar rules to require the right objects. Obviously this rule:
foo:$(OBJS)
...
won't work, we need something specific to foo:
foo: $(addprefix $(foo_BUILD_DIR)/, $(OBJS))
...
This works, but it requires us to write a foo rule that specifies $(foo_BUILD_DIR), a bar rule that specifies $(bar_BUILD_DIR), and so on. Is there a lazier way? All we need is to take the target (e.g. foo) and get it into the prerequisite list. As you know, the automatic variable $# contains the target, but it isn't available in the prerequisite list, because the prerequisite list is expanded before a value is assigned to that variable-- unless we use Secondary Expansion. This is an advanced technique, but it lets us do a second expansion in the later phase (escaping our variables with an extra $ to protect them from the first expansion):
.SECONDEXPANSION:
foo: $(addprefix $$($$#_BUILD_DIR)/, $(OBJS))
...
And once that's working, we can add another target, or as many as we want:
foo bar: $(addprefix $$($$#_BUILD_DIR)/, $(OBJS))
...
There are one or two more refinements possible, but this is enough to start with.
I want my Makefile to accept different source file types. It does, but it does not recompile when I alter an include file. Here's the Makefile:
C_SOURCES := $(wildcard *.c)
CPP_SOURCES := $(wildcard *.cpp)
CC_SOURCES := $(wildcard *.cc)
ALL_SOURCES := $(notdir $(C_SOURCES) $(CPP_SOURCES) $(CC_SOURCES))
C_OBJECTS := ${C_SOURCES:.c=.o}
CPP_OBJECTS := ${CPP_SOURCES:.cpp=.o}
CC_OBJECTS := ${CC_SOURCES:.cc=.o}
ALL_OBJECTS := $(notdir $(C_OBJECTS) $(CPP_OBJECTS) $(CC_OBJECTS))
#############################################################
all: a.out
a.out: $(ALL_OBJECTS)
g++ -o $# -g $^
%.o: %.cpp
g++ -c $# -g $^
%.o: %.cc
g++ -c $# -g $^
%.o: %.c
g++ -c $# -g $^
clean:
rm -f a.out
rm -f *.o
make.depend: $(ALL_SOURCES)
g++ -MM $^ > $#
-include make.depend
The lines starting with *.o: are a recent addition -- I wondered if it might help. No effect.
make.depend is doing its job: I checked it out, and its dependencies are correct. (For my MCVE I have one source file main.cpp which includes date.h.)
main.o: main.cpp date.h
The output of $(info $(ALL_OBJECTS)) is main.o.
So: how can I get it to recognize changes to includes?
It would be helpful, when asking questions, to show an example of running the commands and what is printed. Given the makefile you provide I'd be surprised of make actually ran any commands at all, other than generating the depend file.
That's because this:
C_OBJECTS := ${C_SOURCES: .c =.o}
is invalid syntax. Or more precisely, it doesn't do what you want to do. It replaces the literal string _____.c__ (where the _ are whitespace... SO won't let me just use spaces) at the end of each word in C_SOURCES with .o. Of course you don't have any of those, so basically your ALL_OBJECTS variable contains just your source files (since no changes are made by the substitution).
You can use:
$(info $(ALL_OBJECTS))
to see what happens here.
This needs to be written:
C_OBJECTS := ${C_SOURCES:.c=.o}
CPP_OBJECTS := ${CPP_SOURCES:.cpp=.o}
CC_OBJECTS := ${CC_SOURCES:.cc=.o}
Whitespace in makefiles is very tricky. You definitely have to be careful where you put it and you can't add it anywhere you like.
Also I have no idea why you're using notdir since all your files are in the current directory.
And technically it's incorrect to compile .c files with the g++ compiler front-end.
ETA also your pattern rules are incorrect: you're missing the -o option to the compiler; they should all be the equivalent of:
%.o: %.c
g++ -c -o $# -g $^
Better is to use the standard make variables, then you can customize the behavior without rewriting all the rules:
CFLAGS = -g
%.o: %.c
$(CC) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $# $<
Update Just use the comprehensively enginerred automatic dependency file generation #MadScientist describes at http://make.mad-scientist.net/papers/advanced-auto-dependency-generation/. This works with both GCC and clang (due to clang's explicit goal to be commandline compatible to GCC).
For completeness' sake, my original answer:
The generated dependency rules must depend on the sources determined by the dependeny rule generating rule. This requires the -MT parameter to gcc.
I have included this as an example in a slightly cleaned up version of your GNUmakefile:
#############################################################
ALL_CFLAGS = -g
ALL_CXXFLAGS = -g
#############################################################
.PHONY: all
all: all-local
#############################################################
bin_PROGRAMS += test-cxx
test_cxx_OBJECTS += main.o
test_cxx_OBJECTS += main-c.o
test-cxx: $(test_cxx_OBJECTS)
$(LINK.cc) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -o $# $^
ALL_OBJECTS += $(test_cxx_OBJECTS)
#############################################################
%.o: %.cpp
$(COMPILE.cpp) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -o $# -c $<
%.o: %.cc
$(COMPILE.cc) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -o $# -c $<
%.o: %.c
$(COMPILE.c) $(ALL_CFLAGS) -o $# -c $<
#############################################################
%.dep: %.cpp
$(COMPILE.cpp) -MM -MT "$*.o $# " $< > $#.tmp
mv -f $#.tmp $#
%.dep: %.cc
$(COMPILE.cc) -MM -MT "$*.o $# " $< > $#.tmp
mv -f $#.tmp $#
%.dep: %.c
$(COMPILE.c) -MM -MT "$*.o $# " $< > $#.tmp
mv -f $#.tmp $#
ALL_DEPS = $(ALL_OBJECTS:.o=.dep)
-include $(ALL_DEPS)
#############################################################
.PHONY: all-local
all-local: $(bin_PROGRAMS)
.PHONY: clean
clean:
rm -f $(bin_PROGRAMS)
rm -f *.dep
rm -f *.o
#############################################################
The *.dep generating rules will recursively examine all included source files, and list them all in the generated *.dep file.
Using a separate *.dep file for each object file means that if you change only one source file, only the *.dep files needing regeneration will actually be regenerated.
The *.dep generating rule creates a *.dep.tmp file first, and only moves that to *.dep if generating the *.dep.tmp file has been successful. So if for some reason generating the *.dep.tmp file fails (e.g. you might be including a non-existing header file), you will not have a newly generated (and thus considered up to date) empty *.dep file being included by make.
I'm trying to understand deeply how makefiles work.
For example, I've the following one:
CC = gcc
CFLAGS = -I.
DEPS = int_array.h
OBJS = int_array.o test_int_array.o
%.o: %.c $(DEPS)
$(CC) -c -o $# $< $(CFLAGS)
test_int_array: $(OBJS)
$(CC) -o $# $^ $(CFLAGS)
clean:
rm -rf *.o test_int_array *.dSYM
The part that I really don't understand fully is :
...
%.o: %.c $(DEPS)
$(CC) -c -o $# $< $(CFLAGS)
test_int_array: $(OBJS)
$(CC) -o $# $^ $(CFLAGS)
...
I know that the option -c basically indicates just to run the preprocessor, compiling and assembling steps (i.e. without producing executables, I guess).
-o means to write the output to the specified file. Which file in this case?
I understood that $# (and $^ for right) is apparently referring to a "left" side, but which one? Is it referring, in the first case, to the left side of :, that is %.o?
What does $< mean?
Could you please explain step by step how the make tool would interpret those two statements?
I think I understood this part more or less:
...
test_int_array: $(OBJS)
$(CC) -o $# $^ $(CFLAGS)
...
which should mean produce an executable called "test_int_array" (which basically is indicated by these options -o $# from the $(OBJS) files on the right (stated using the option $^).
Is $(CFLAGS) needed in both cases? Does the order matter?
In the example:
test_int_array: $(OBJS)
$(CC) -o $# $^ $(CFLAGS)
$# is the filename of the target for this rule: test_int_array.
$^ is the names of all prerequisites.
This would be whatever is contained in OBJS, so: int_array.o test_int_array.o
In the example:
%.o: %.c $(DEPS)
$(CC) -c -o $# $< $(CFLAGS)
$< is the name of the first prerequisite: %.c
$# is the filename of the target for this rule: %.o
$(CFLAGS) is not needed for linking, since it only includes the flag -I. Also the CFLAGS indicates that the flags are used for compiling only, hence C FLAGS.
In a Makefile, each rule follows this format:
resulting_file : source_files
steps to get resulting_file from source_files
What is called respectively lefthand and righthand in a rule is the resulting_file and the source_files.
%.ext : %.ext2
is a pattern rule. It allows your Makefile to automatically create any .ext file it needs if it can find a file at the same path with .ext2.
%.c : %.o
is a pattern rule to obtain your .o files (int_array.o test_int_array.o) from their equivalent .c files (int_array.c test_int_array.c)
This is invoked when you specify that $(OBJS) is needed to build the test_int_array file.
Pattern rules automatically use certain variables, such as $(CFLAGS) so you do not need to manually add it in that rule. You can find a full list of implicitly used variables in pattern rules here: https://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/Manuals/make-3.79.1/html_chapter/make_10.html#SEC96
You can find out about $#, $< and $^ and similar here: https://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/Manuals/make-3.79.1/html_chapter/make_10.html#SEC101
$#: the entire lefthand
$<: the first file in the righthand
$^: the entire righthand list of files, space separated.
I need a file to have a dedicated rule for use special flags.
Now I use
$(OBJDIR)/%.$(OE): special_file.c
$(ECHO) "Compiling file $< => $#"
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_SPECIAL) $(DEFINES) $(INCLUDE) $< -o $#
$(OBJDIR)/%.$(OE): %.c $(OBJDIR)
$(ECHO) "Compiling file $< => $#"
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(DEFINES) $(INCLUDE) $< -o $#
But isn't working for special_file.c. It seems the path is not known, but when I comment my special rule and let make all files, file is compiling fine.
How to divert make to a rule just for one file?
Thanks very much in advance,
You should use Target-specific Variable Values:
$(OBJDIR)/special_file.$(OE): CFLAGS += --specific_flags
$(OBJDIR)/special_file.$(OE): special_file.c
$(OBJDIR)/%.$(OE): %.c $(OBJDIR)
$(ECHO) "Compiling file $< => $#"
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(DEFINES) $(INCLUDE) $< -o $#
If you want to do it this way, you'll have to write it as a static rule:
$(OBJDIR)/special_file.$(OE): special_file.c
$(ECHO) "Compiling file $< => $#"
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS_SPECIAL) $(DEFINES) $(INCLUDE) $< -o $#
However, much simpler and more flexible is to use recursive variable naming. Do something like this:
special_file_FLAGS = $(CFLAGS_SPECIAL)
$(OBJDIR)/%.$(OE): %.c
$(ECHO) "Compiling file $< => $#"
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $($*_FLAGS) $(DEFINES) $(INCLUDE) $< -o $#
The automatic variable $* expands to the stem (the part that matches %). Now when you build anything other than special_file.c, say other_file.c, make will expand $(other_file_FLAGS) which is empty. When you build special_file.c, make will expand $(special_file_FLAGS).
BTW, you should (almost) never list a directory as a prerequisite of a target. Search for other answers to find out why not and the right way to ensure the target directory is created.
ETA:
Target-specific variables are definitely a cool feature. I tend to not use them, though. Why? Because I prefer to separate my data from my rules.
If you use target-specific variables, you are mixing together the rule syntax (the target) with the data syntax (the variable assignment). Using the recursive variable name method, I keep the rule syntax and the data assignment separate. What if I decide I need to change my pattern rule so that the target name changes? With target-specific variables I have to go through all my files and change the target names. With recursive variable naming, I just change the pattern rule and it Just Works.
In my build environments I typically have makefiles containing only data (variable assignments), plus an include of a common makefile that declares all my rules. Avoiding the need to leak target formatting syntax all over my general data-driven makefiles, escaping from my uber-magical common rule definitions, keeps me from doing much with target-specific variables.
I'm having troubles with my Makefile :-(
I have a mix of assembly and C sourcecode that I need to link together. I need different build-instructions for those two types. Since both the assembler and C compiler output *.o files, I cannot use the general %.o:%.c construction often found in example Makefiles
This what I'm trying now:
Get a list of all C files and their resulting output files:
C_SRCFILES := $(shell find $(SRCDIRS) -type -f -name "*.c")
C_OBJFILES := $(patsub %.c,%.o,$(C_SRCFILES))
Get a list of all asm files and their resulting output files:
A_SRCFILES := $(shell find $(SRCDIRS) -type -f -name "*.asm")
A_OBJFILES := $(patsub %.asm,%.o,$(A_SRCFILES))
When I echo those vars to the screen, they seem to be correct, but how I do define my targets now?
I tried something like this
$(A_OBJFILES): ($A_SRCFILES)
$(AS) $(AFLAGS) -o $# $*
$(C_OBJFILES): ($C_SRCFILES)
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $# $*
all: $(A_OBJFILES) $(C_OBJFILES)
$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $(A_OBJFILES) $(C_OBJFILES) -o $(TARGET_OUTPUT)
but ofcourse, this doesn't work...
Any suggestions?
First problem: a misplaced parenthesis or two.
$(A_OBJFILES): ($A_SRCFILES)
Notice that you have the $ inside the ( in ($A_SRCFILES). Make expands $A, which is nothing, and things go downhill. I think you meant $(A_SRCFILES), and the same thing in the other rule.
Second problem: I don't know the syntax of the assembler, but the syntax of the compiler command is wrong:
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $# $*
The variable $* is nothing if we're not in a pattern rule, which we're not (yet). And anyway, if we were in a pattern rule and you were trying to build foo.o, this command would look for the source file foo, and there's no such file. Do it this way:
$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c -o $# $<
Third problem: each object file depends on all source files (in each rule). Try this instead:
$(A_OBJFILES): %.o : %.asm
...
$(C_OBJFILES): %.o : %.c
...
(Now it's a pattern rule.)
Fourth problem: a lot of redundancy in the last rule. Change it to this:
all: $(A_OBJFILES) $(C_OBJFILES)
$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $^ -o $(TARGET_OUTPUT)
or better still:
all: $(TARGET_OUTPUT)
$(TARGET_OUTPUT): $(A_OBJFILES) $(C_OBJFILES)
$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $^ -o $#
Since both the assembler and C compiler output *.o files, I cannot use the general %.o:%.c construction often found in example Makefiles
Sure you can:
%.o : %.c
# commands to make .o from a corresponding .c
%.o : %.asm
# commands to make .o from a corresponding .asm