Makefile - Issue with referencing parent directory - makefile

Question

I have a makefile from a sample project that tries to reference the parent directory as "../bin". This does not seem to work when running "make install". The error I get is:
cp: cannot stat `/bin/build/*': No such file or directory
The layout of the project is:
/bin
/src/makefile
(So when I run the makefile, the current directory is /src/)
It appears referencing the parent directory with ".." is incorrect. I know I can reference the current directory with {$CURDIR} variable, but I need to know the proper variable or way to reference the parent directory so /bin/ is referenced correctly. I think I might be able to work around this by moving the makefile, but I want to know the real way to do this for future use.
The makefile looks like this (problem ares highlighted with ##### problem ######)
# The name of the extension.
extension_name := xulschoolhello
# The UUID of the extension.
extension_uuid := helloworld#xulschool.com
# The name of the profile dir where the extension can be installed.
profile_dir := 8mtbjosv.development
# The zip application to be used.
ZIP := zip
# The target location of the build and build files.
bin_dir := ../bin ##### problem ######
# The target XPI file.
xpi_file := $(bin_dir)/$(extension_name)2.xpi
# The type of operating system this make command is running on.
os_type := $(patsubst darwin%,darwin,$(shell echo $(OSTYPE)))
# The location of the extension profile.
ifeq ($(os_type), darwin)
profile_location := \
~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/$(profile_dir)/extensions/\{$(extension_uuid)\}
else
ifeq ($(os_type), linux-gnu)
profile_location := \
~/.mozilla/firefox/$(profile_dir)/extensions/
else
profile_location := \
"$(subst \,\\,$(APPDATA))\\Mozilla\\Firefox\\Profiles\\$(profile_dir)\\extensions\\{$(extension_uuid)}"
endif
endif
# The temporary location where the extension tree will be copied and built.
build_dir := $(bin_dir)/build ##### problem ######
# This builds the extension XPI file.
.PHONY: all
all: $(xpi_file)
#echo
#echo "Build finished successfully."
#echo
# This cleans all temporary files and directories created by 'make'.
.PHONY: clean
clean:
#rm -rf $(build_dir)
#rm -f $(xpi_file)
#echo "Cleanup is done."
# The sources for the XPI file.
xpi_built := install.rdf \
chrome.manifest \
$(wildcard content/*.js) \
$(wildcard content/*.xul) \
$(wildcard content/*.xml) \
$(wildcard content/*.css) \
$(wildcard skin/*.css) \
$(wildcard skin/*.png) \
$(wildcard locale/*/*.dtd) \
$(wildcard locale/*/*.properties)
$(build_dir) $(xpi_built): $(xpi_built)
# This builds everything except for the actual XPI, and then it copies it to the
# specified profile directory, allowing a quick update that requires no install.
.PHONY: install
install: $(build_dir) $(xpi_built)
#echo "Installing in profile folder: $(profile_location)"
#cp -Rf $(build_dir)/* $(profile_location) ##### problem ######
#echo "Installing in profile folder. Done!"
#echo
$(xpi_file): $(xpi_built)
#echo "Creating XPI file."
#$(ZIP) $(xpi_file) $(xpi_built)
#echo "Creating XPI file. Done!"
I am using GNU Make 3.81 on Linux Mint 12.
Thanks.
Output of
#echo "Installing in profile folder: $(profile_location)"
#echo ${build_dir}
#echo ${profile_location}
is :
Installing in profile folder: ~/.mozilla/firefox/8mtbjosv.development/extensions/
../bin/build
/home/owner/.mozilla/firefox/8mtbjosv.development/extensions/

Answer 1

I think you should try to check that the destination folder, $(profile_location), exists and that it is writable. Also, make sure that the line endings have the proper Linux format (\n). I'm not able to spot any other error at the moment.

Answer 2

What if it is running so that ../bin is relative to where the makefile is, but not where it is running? If make clean works, then it's a sign that might be the case. Look for some compiler options to give verbose output, then put a "pwd" statement there to see how it resolves.

Answer 3

Not a direct answer but when trying to reference the parent directory in a command using GNU Make 4.2.1 I found that I had to escape the forward slash...
backup:
#tar -czvpf ..\/$(PROGRAM)-`date +'%Y%m%d%H%M'`.tar.gz $(FILES)