Contents|Index|Previous|Next
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 the following discussions,
we will desciribe a simple makefile that tells 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 example.
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.
Top|Contents|Index|Previous|Next