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(make.info.gz) Introduction

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 2 An Introduction to Makefiles
 ******************************
 
 You need a file called a "makefile" to tell `make' what to do.  Most
 often, the makefile tells `make' how to compile and link a program.  
 
    In this chapter, we will discuss a simple makefile that describes
 how to compile and link a text editor which consists of eight C source
 files and three header files.  The makefile can also tell `make' how to
 run miscellaneous commands when explicitly asked (for example, to remove
 certain files as a clean-up operation).  To see a more complex example
 of a makefile, see  Complex Makefile.
 
    When `make' recompiles the editor, each changed C source file must
 be recompiled.  If a header file has changed, each C source file that
 includes the header file must be recompiled to be safe.  Each
 compilation produces an object file corresponding to the source file.
 Finally, if any source file has been recompiled, all the object files,
 whether newly made or saved from previous compilations, must be linked
 together to produce the new executable editor.  
 

Menu

 
* Rule Introduction           What a rule looks like.
* Simple Makefile             A Simple Makefile
* How Make Works              How `make' Processes This Makefile
* Variables Simplify          Variables Make Makefiles Simpler
* make Deduces                Letting `make' Deduce the Commands
* Combine By Prerequisite     Another Style of Makefile
* Cleanup                     Rules for Cleaning the Directory
 
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