make file not in current directory

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Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.questions
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:56:42 -0600

> What is the right way of specifying make rules for files that are
> not in current directory? For example:
> %.ps : %.dvi %.chk

Not all makes are the same, but the implementation I use on Solaris does not allow more than ONE % on the right side. So, I believe this would be an error or not interpretted as you indend. GNU make may be different. What you are trying to do works for me, on Solaris 8, when there is only one % on the right.

Chuck Dillon

make file not in current directory

> What is the right way of specifying make rules for files that are
> not in current directory?

There is none. The concept (a) does not apply, (b) is meaningless, (c) is ill-conceived.

> %.ps : %.dvi %.chk
>      $(DVIPS) -o $@ $<

> I want it to be a general purpose rule for files that are in current
> directory, and those which aren't. But it seems to me that it does

It is.

> not apply to files not in current directory, correct? How can I make
> it happen?

You probably need to change your perception.

> Further detailed info. I have another rule:

> ps : ${TEX_DEST_DIR}/$(TEX_SOURCE_BASE).ps

> and the .dvi has already been generated in ${TEX_DEST_DIR}. But when
> I issue make, I got:

> make: *** No rule to make target `../../tmp/path/test.ps', needed by `ps'.  Stop.

And where are you when you do this?

How Patterns Match

 A target pattern is composed of a `%' between a prefix and a suffix,
either or both of which may be empty.  The pattern matches a file
name only if the file name starts with the prefix and ends with the
suffix, without overlap.  The text between the prefix and the suffix
is called the "stem".  Thus, when the pattern `%.o' matches the file
name `test.o', the stem is `test'.  The pattern rule prerequisites
are turned into actual file names by substituting the stem for the
character `%'.  Thus, if in the same example one of the prerequisites
is written as `%.c', it expands to `test.c'.

 When the target pattern does not contain a slash (and it usually does
not), directory names in the file names are removed from the file
name before it is compared with the target prefix and suffix.  After
the comparison of the file name to the target pattern, the directory
names, along with the slash that ends them, are added on to the
prerequisite file names generated from the pattern rule's
prerequisite patterns and the file name.  The directories are ignored
only for the purpose of finding an implicit rule to use, not in the
application of that rule.  Thus, `e%t' matches the file name
`src/eat', with `src/a' as the stem.  When prerequisites are turned
into file names, the directories from the stem are added at the
front, while the rest of the stem is substituted for the `%'.  The
stem `src/a' with a prerequisite pattern `c%r' gives the file name
`src/car'.

In any case, the correct way to do what you want is

export VPATH:=$(TEX_SOURCE_DIR)
ps:
     $(MAKE) -C $(TEX_DEST_DIR) foo.ps

I.e. makefiles are expected to be one per dir.

Probably.

Peter

make file not in current directory

> In any case, the correct way to do what you want is
>
>    export VPATH:=$(TEX_SOURCE_DIR)
>    ps:
>      $(MAKE) -C $(TEX_DEST_DIR) foo.ps
>
> I.e. makefiles are expected to be one per dir.

This is non-portable for those (bsd-based) `make's that do not use -C. I suspect you'd want to use (cd $(TEX_DEST_DIR); $(MAKE) ) instead.

Or something.

~Tim