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## GNU Make
GNU Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and
other non-source files of a program from the program\'s source files.
Make gets its knowledge of how to build your program from a file called
the *makefile*, which lists each of the non-source files and how to
compute it from other files. When you write a program, you should write
a makefile for it, so that it is possible to use Make to build and
install the program.
#### Capabilities of Make
- Make enables the end user to build and install your package without
knowing the details of how that is done \-- because these details
are recorded in the makefile that you supply.
- Make figures out automatically which files it needs to update, based
on which source files have changed. It also automatically determines
the proper order for updating files, in case one non-source file
depends on another non-source file.
As a result, if you change a few source files and then run Make, it
does not need to recompile all of your program. It updates only
those non-source files that depend directly or indirectly on the
source files that you changed.
- Make is not limited to any particular language. For each non-source
file in the program, the makefile specifies the shell commands to
compute it. These shell commands can run a compiler to produce an
object file, the linker to produce an executable, `ar` to update a
library, or TeX or Makeinfo to format documentation.
- Make is not limited to building a package. You can also use Make to
control installing or deinstalling a package, generate tags tables
for it, or anything else you want to do often enough to make it
worth while writing down how to do it.
::: summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
### Table of contents {#table-of-contents .no-display}
- [Download](#download)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Mailing lists](#mail)
- [Getting involved](#contribute)
- [Licensing](#license)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
:::
#### Make Rules and Targets
A *rule* in the makefile tells Make how to execute a series of commands
in order to build a *target* file from source files. It also specifies a
list of *dependencies* of the target file. This list should include all
files (whether source files or other targets) which are used as inputs
to the commands in the rule.
Here is what a simple rule looks like:
target: dependencies ...
commands
...
When you run Make, you can specify particular targets to update;
otherwise, Make updates the first target listed in the makefile. Of
course, any other target files needed as input for generating these
targets must be updated first.
Make uses the makefile to figure out which target files ought to be
brought up to date, and then determines which of them actually need to
be updated. If a target file is newer than all of its dependencies, then
it is already up to date, and it does not need to be regenerated. The
other target files do need to be updated, but in the right order: each
target file must be regenerated before it is used in regenerating other
targets.
#### Advantages of GNU Make
GNU Make has many powerful features for use in makefiles, beyond what
other Make versions have. It can also regenerate, use, and then delete
intermediate files which need not be saved.
GNU Make also has a few simple features that are very convenient. For
example, the `-o `*`file`* option which says \`\`pretend that source
file *file* has not changed, even though it has changed.\'\' This is
extremely useful when you add a new macro to a header file. Most
versions of Make will assume they must therefore recompile all the
source files that use the header file; but GNU Make gives you a way to
avoid the recompilation, in the case where you know your change to the
header file does not require it.
However, the most important difference between GNU Make and most
versions of Make is that GNU Make is free software.
#### Makefiles And Conventions
We have developed conventions for how to write Makefiles, which all GNU
packages ought to follow. It is a good idea to follow these conventions
in your program even if you don\'t intend it to be GNU software, so that
users will be able to build your package just like many other packages,
and will not need to learn anything special before doing so.
These conventions are found in the chapter [\`\`Makefile conventions\'\'
(147 k
characters)](/prep/standards/html_node/Makefile-Conventions.html#Makefile-Conventions)
of the [GNU Coding Standards (147 k characters)](/prep/standards.html).
### Download
Make can be found on the main GNU ftp server ([download [Make
]{.no-display}via HTTPS](https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/make/), [[download
Make via ]{.no-display}HTTP](http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/make/) or [[download
Make via ]{.no-display}FTP](ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/make/)), and its
[mirrors](/prep/ftp.html); please [use a
mirror](https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/make/) if possible.
### Documentation
[Documentation for Make](manual/) is online, as is [documentation for
most GNU software](/manual/manual.html). It can also be accessed by
running [info make]{.kbd} or [man make]{.kbd}, or by looking at
`/usr/share/doc/make/`, or similar directories on your system. A brief
summary is available by running [make \--help]{.kbd}.
### Mailing lists {#mail}
Make has the following mailing lists:
- [bug-make](https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-make) for
discussing most aspects of Make, including development and
enhancement requests, as well as bug reports.
- [help-make](https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-make) for
general user help and discussion.
Announcements about Make and most other GNU software are made on the
[info-gnu](https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu) mailing list
([archives](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu/)).
Security reports that should not be made immediately public can be sent
directly to the maintainer. If there is no response to an urgent issue,
you can escalate to the general
[security](https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/security) mailing list
for advice.
### Getting involved {#contribute}
Development of Make, and GNU in general, is a volunteer effort, and you
can contribute. For information, please read [How to help GNU](/help/).
If you\'d like to get involved, it\'s a good idea to join the discussion
mailing list (see above).
Development tools
: For development sources, issue trackers, and other information,
please see the [Make project
page](https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/make/) at
[savannah.gnu.org](https://savannah.gnu.org).
Testing
: Trying the latest test release (when available) is always
appreciated. Test releases can be found on the GNU "alpha" server
([HTTPS](https://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/make/),
[HTTP](http://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/make/),
[FTP](ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/make/)) and its
[mirrors](/prep/ftp.html).
Translating
: To translate the program messages into other languages, please refer
to the [Translation Project page for
Make](https://translationproject.org/domain/make.html). New
translations or updates to the existing strings will not be
incorporated into Make if they are sent elsewhere. For more
information, see the [Translation Project home
page](https://translationproject.org/html/welcome.html).
Maintainer
: Make is currently maintained by Paul Smith. Please use the mailing
lists for contact.
### Licensing {#license}
Make is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of the [GNU General Public
License](/licenses/gpl.html){rel="license"} as published by the Free
Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.
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Updated: \$Date: 2023/02/26 19:56:54 \$
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