Explaining makefile

Posted by Michael on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Michael
Published on 2010-05-01T04:59:51Z Indexed on 2010/05/01 5:07 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 156

Filed under:

makefile

|

syntax

xpi_built := $(build_dir)/$(install_rdf) \
             $(build_dir)/$(chrome_manifest) \
             $(chrome_jar_file) \
             $(default_prefs)

xpi_built_no_dir := $(subst $(build_dir)/,,$(xpi_built))

$(xpi_file): $(build_dir) $(xpi_built)
 @echo "Creating XPI file."
 cd $(build_dir); $(ZIP) ../$(xpi_file) $(xpi_built_no_dir)
 @echo "Creating XPI file. Done!"

$(build_dir)/%: %
 cp -f $< $@

$(build_dir):
 @if [ ! -x $(build_dir) ]; \
  then \
    mkdir $(build_dir); \
  fi

can anyone explain me this makefile part? particularly interested in

$(build_dir)/%: % as well as $< and $@ directives
two labels $(build_dir) exists, I guess both are executed, but in which order?

© Stack Overflow or respective owner

Related posts about makefile

How can I build pyv8 from source on FreeBSD against the v8 port?

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I am unable to build pyv8 from source on FreeBSD. I have installed the /usr/ports/lang/v8 port, and I'm running into the following error. It seems that pyv8 wants to build v8 itself even though v8 is already built and installed. How can I point pyv8 to the already installed location of v8? #… >>> More
What are Makefile.am and Makefile.in?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
These 2 files are mostly seen in an opensource project, what are they for,how do they work? >>> More
How to add a c file to be compiled with a package

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I want to add a file hstest.c which comes with bluez package but not by default added to the makefile to the sources that are compiled with the buid system. I read about makefiles and autotools but now I am hesitant to make changes to the makefiles. Should I modify the makefile.am and then run automake… >>> More
Exporting makefile from Eclipse CDT

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have C++ project in the Ubuntu OS, Eclipse CDT. My final goal is to build the project binaries for FreeBSD OS. The first test. I create simple C++ CDT project with main.cpp file: cout << "OK" << endl; and build it. Then I open Terminal window in Release directory: alex@alex-linux:~/workspace/HelloWorld/Release$… >>> More
how to use pkg-config or something equivalent in makefile

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi , Could someone please tell us how to use pkg-config in Makefile. here is an exp: `pkg-config --cflags --libs protobuf` Makefile file CXX = g++ CXXFLAGS = -Wall -ansi -pedantic -g # # I tried this line, but not working PKGS = `pkg-config --cflags --libs protobuf` # ifeq ($(shell uname),SunOS) … >>> More

Related posts about syntax

learning to make sense of the syntax of syntax

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
i want to use alter table but the syntax posted here: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/alter-table.html is very confusing i do not understand what the [ ] mean or the { } mean or the pipes is there some kind of tutorial that can help me understand this? >>> More
C syntax or binary optimized syntax?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Let's take an simple example of two lines supposedly doing the same thing: if (value = 96 || value < 0) ... or if (value & ~ 95) ... Say 'If's are costly in a loop of thousands of iterations, is it better to keep with the traditional C syntax or better to find a binary optimized one if… >>> More
If you had to reinvent a new syntax for regular expressions, what would it look like?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
Regular expressions as they are today are pretty much as concise and compact as they can be. Consequently, they are often criticised for being unreadable and hard to debug. If you had to reinvent a new syntax for regular expressions, what would it look like? Do you prefer the concise syntax they… >>> More
online utility to convert jquery syntax to mootools syntax

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Is there any online utility to convert jquery syntax to mootools syntax? Is there any guideline to convert jquery to mootools? >>> More
Transform XAML syntax from Shorthand to full syntax

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Is there a tool or a simple way to transform XAML code from the shorthand syntax to the full syntax? For example: moving from something like: <_TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Formula.Production, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" to <_TextBox <_TextBox.Text <Binding… >>> More