Make — A Program for Maintaining Computer Programs

Make — A Program for Maintaining Computer Programs

Revised April, 1986 | S. I. Feldman
Make is a program that helps maintain computer programs by automatically reprocessing or recompiling files when changes are made. It simplifies the process of keeping programs up-to-date by defining dependencies between files and the commands needed to create them. When a change is made, Make determines which files need to be updated based on these dependencies and executes the necessary commands. Make works by searching for dependencies in a description file, ensuring that all required files are up-to-date before creating a target file. It performs a depth-first search of the dependency graph to determine what work is needed. Make also supports macro substitution and allows commands to be encapsulated in a single file for easier administration. Make is particularly useful for medium-sized programming projects. It does not handle multiple source versions or very large programs. It was originally designed for Unix but can also run on GCOS. Make uses three sources of information: a user-supplied description file, file names and last-modified times from the file system, and built-in rules. The description file defines dependencies and commands needed to create files. It can be written in a simple format, making it easy to maintain. Make supports various command-line options for controlling its behavior, such as ignoring errors, running in silent mode, or touching files to mark them as up-to-date. It also has implicit rules for handling common file types, such as .c files, which are compiled into .o files. Make can be used to manage complex projects by defining dependencies and commands in a description file. It automatically determines which files need to be updated based on these dependencies and executes the necessary commands. This helps reduce the effort required to maintain programs and ensures that they remain up-to-date.Make is a program that helps maintain computer programs by automatically reprocessing or recompiling files when changes are made. It simplifies the process of keeping programs up-to-date by defining dependencies between files and the commands needed to create them. When a change is made, Make determines which files need to be updated based on these dependencies and executes the necessary commands. Make works by searching for dependencies in a description file, ensuring that all required files are up-to-date before creating a target file. It performs a depth-first search of the dependency graph to determine what work is needed. Make also supports macro substitution and allows commands to be encapsulated in a single file for easier administration. Make is particularly useful for medium-sized programming projects. It does not handle multiple source versions or very large programs. It was originally designed for Unix but can also run on GCOS. Make uses three sources of information: a user-supplied description file, file names and last-modified times from the file system, and built-in rules. The description file defines dependencies and commands needed to create files. It can be written in a simple format, making it easy to maintain. Make supports various command-line options for controlling its behavior, such as ignoring errors, running in silent mode, or touching files to mark them as up-to-date. It also has implicit rules for handling common file types, such as .c files, which are compiled into .o files. Make can be used to manage complex projects by defining dependencies and commands in a description file. It automatically determines which files need to be updated based on these dependencies and executes the necessary commands. This helps reduce the effort required to maintain programs and ensures that they remain up-to-date.
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