What is a makefile used for?

What is a makefile used for?

If you want to run or update a task when certain files are updated, the make utility can come in handy. The make utility requires a file, Makefile (or makefile ), which defines set of tasks to be executed. You may have used make to compile a program from source code.

What is phony in makefile?

A phony target is one that is not really the name of a file; rather it is just a name for a recipe to be executed when you make an explicit request. Once this is done, ‘ make clean ‘ will run the recipe regardless of whether there is a file named clean .

What is include in makefile?

The include directive tells make to suspend reading the current makefile and read one or more other makefiles before continuing. The directive is a line in the makefile that looks like this: include filenames … filenames can contain shell file name patterns.

What is the default target in a makefile?

first target
By default, the goal is the first target in the makefile (not counting targets that start with a period). Therefore, makefiles are usually written so that the first target is for compiling the entire program or programs they describe.

What is C++ makefile?

A makefile is a text file that contains instructions for how to compile and link (or build) a set of source code files. A program (often called a make program) reads the makefile and invokes a compiler, linker, and possibly other programs to make an executable file.

How do I clean my makefile?

The Cleanup Rule clean: rm *.o prog3 This is an optional rule. It allows you to type ‘make clean’ at the command line to get rid of your object and executable files. Sometimes the compiler will link or compile files incorrectly and the only way to get a fresh start is to remove all the object and executable files.

What is make target?

A ‘make target’ is basically a file that you want rebuilt. Make can’t divine what you want built, so you have to tell it, implicitly or explicitly, what it should build.

How do you name a makefile?

Normally you should call your makefile either makefile or Makefile . (We recommend Makefile because it appears prominently near the beginning of a directory listing, right near other important files such as README .) The first name checked, GNUmakefile , is not recommended for most makefiles.

How do you make a wildcard in makefile?

If you want to do wildcard expansion in such places, you need to use the wildcard function, like this: $(wildcard pattern …) This string, used anywhere in a makefile, is replaced by a space-separated list of names of existing files that match one of the given file name patterns.

What is the purpose of a makefile?

The goal of Makefiles is to compile whatever files need to be compiled, based on what files have changed. But when files in interpreted languages change, nothing needs to get recompiled. When the program runs, the most recent version of the file is used.

What are some good alternatives to makefiles?

For Java, there’s Ant, Maven, and Gradle. Other languages like Go and Rust have their own build tools. Interpreted languages like Python, Ruby, and Javascript don’t require an analogue to Makefiles. The goal of Makefiles is to compile whatever files need to be compiled, based on what files have changed.

What are the prerequisites for a makefile?

A Makefile consists of a set of rules. A rule generally looks like this: The targets are file names, seperated by spaces. Typically, there is only one per rule. The commands are a series of steps typically used to make the target (s). These need to start with a tab character, not spaces. The prerequisites are also file names, seperated by spaces.

What programming languages don’t need makefiles?

Interpreted languages like Python, Ruby, and Javascript don’t require an analogue to Makefiles. The goal of Makefiles is to compile whatever files need to be compiled, based on what files have changed. But when files in interpreted languages change, nothing needs to get recompiled.