(make.info.gz) Automatic Variables

Info Catalog (make.info.gz) Pattern Examples (make.info.gz) Pattern Rules (make.info.gz) Pattern Match
 
 10.5.3 Automatic Variables
 --------------------------
 
 Suppose you are writing a pattern rule to compile a `.c' file into a
 `.o' file: how do you write the `cc' command so that it operates on the
 right source file name?  You cannot write the name in the recipe,
 because the name is different each time the implicit rule is applied.
 
    What you do is use a special feature of `make', the "automatic
 variables".  These variables have values computed afresh for each rule
 that is executed, based on the target and prerequisites of the rule.
 In this example, you would use `$@' for the object file name and `$<'
 for the source file name.
 
    It's very important that you recognize the limited scope in which
 automatic variable values are available: they only have values within
 the recipe.  In particular, you cannot use them anywhere within the
 target list of a rule; they have no value there and will expand to the
 empty string.  Also, they cannot be accessed directly within the
 prerequisite list of a rule.  A common mistake is attempting to use
 `$@' within the prerequisites list; this will not work.  However, there
 is a special feature of GNU `make', secondary expansion (
 Secondary Expansion), which will allow automatic variable values to
 be used in prerequisite lists.
 
    Here is a table of automatic variables:
 
 `$@'
      The file name of the target of the rule.  If the target is an
      archive member, then `$@' is the name of the archive file.  In a
      pattern rule that has multiple targets ( Introduction to
      Pattern Rules Pattern Intro.), `$@' is the name of whichever
      target caused the rule's recipe to be run.
 
 `$%'
      The target member name, when the target is an archive member.
       Archives.  For example, if the target is `foo.a(bar.o)'
      then `$%' is `bar.o' and `$@' is `foo.a'.  `$%' is empty when the
      target is not an archive member.
 
 `$<'
      The name of the first prerequisite.  If the target got its recipe
      from an implicit rule, this will be the first prerequisite added
      by the implicit rule ( Implicit Rules).
 
 `$?'
      The names of all the prerequisites that are newer than the target,
      with spaces between them.  For prerequisites which are archive
      members, only the named member is used ( Archives).  
 
 `$^'
      The names of all the prerequisites, with spaces between them.  For
      prerequisites which are archive members, only the named member is
      used ( Archives).  A target has only one prerequisite on
      each other file it depends on, no matter how many times each file
      is listed as a prerequisite.  So if you list a prerequisite more
      than once for a target, the value of `$^' contains just one copy
      of the name.  This list does *not* contain any of the order-only
      prerequisites; for those see the `$|' variable, below.  
 
 `$+'
      This is like `$^', but prerequisites listed more than once are
      duplicated in the order they were listed in the makefile.  This is
      primarily useful for use in linking commands where it is
      meaningful to repeat library file names in a particular order.
 
 `$|'
      The names of all the order-only prerequisites, with spaces between
      them.
 
 `$*'
      The stem with which an implicit rule matches ( How Patterns
      Match Pattern Match.).  If the target is `dir/a.foo.b' and the
      target pattern is `a.%.b' then the stem is `dir/foo'.  The stem is
      useful for constructing names of related files.  
 
      In a static pattern rule, the stem is part of the file name that
      matched the `%' in the target pattern.
 
      In an explicit rule, there is no stem; so `$*' cannot be determined
      in that way.  Instead, if the target name ends with a recognized
      suffix ( Old-Fashioned Suffix Rules Suffix Rules.), `$*' is
      set to the target name minus the suffix.  For example, if the
      target name is `foo.c', then `$*' is set to `foo', since `.c' is a
      suffix.  GNU `make' does this bizarre thing only for compatibility
      with other implementations of `make'.  You should generally avoid
      using `$*' except in implicit rules or static pattern rules.
 
      If the target name in an explicit rule does not end with a
      recognized suffix, `$*' is set to the empty string for that rule.
 
    `$?' is useful even in explicit rules when you wish to operate on
 only the prerequisites that have changed.  For example, suppose that an
 archive named `lib' is supposed to contain copies of several object
 files.  This rule copies just the changed object files into the archive:
 
      lib: foo.o bar.o lose.o win.o
              ar r lib $?
 
    Of the variables listed above, four have values that are single file
 names, and three have values that are lists of file names.  These seven
 have variants that get just the file's directory name or just the file
 name within the directory.  The variant variables' names are formed by
 appending `D' or `F', respectively.  These variants are semi-obsolete
 in GNU `make' since the functions `dir' and `notdir' can be used to get
 a similar effect ( Functions for File Names File Name
 Functions.).  Note, however, that the `D' variants all omit the
 trailing slash which always appears in the output of the `dir'
 function.  Here is a table of the variants:
 
 `$(@D)'
      The directory part of the file name of the target, with the
      trailing slash removed.  If the value of `$@' is `dir/foo.o' then
      `$(@D)' is `dir'.  This value is `.' if `$@' does not contain a
      slash.
 
 `$(@F)'
      The file-within-directory part of the file name of the target.  If
      the value of `$@' is `dir/foo.o' then `$(@F)' is `foo.o'.  `$(@F)'
      is equivalent to `$(notdir $@)'.
 
 `$(*D)'
 `$(*F)'
      The directory part and the file-within-directory part of the stem;
      `dir' and `foo' in this example.
 
 `$(%D)'
 `$(%F)'
      The directory part and the file-within-directory part of the target
      archive member name.  This makes sense only for archive member
      targets of the form `ARCHIVE(MEMBER)' and is useful only when
      MEMBER may contain a directory name.  ( Archive Members as
      Targets Archive Members.)
 
 `$(<D)'
 `$(<F)'
      The directory part and the file-within-directory part of the first
      prerequisite.
 
 `$(^D)'
 `$(^F)'
      Lists of the directory parts and the file-within-directory parts
      of all prerequisites.
 
 `$(+D)'
 `$(+F)'
      Lists of the directory parts and the file-within-directory parts
      of all prerequisites, including multiple instances of duplicated
      prerequisites.
 
 `$(?D)'
 `$(?F)'
      Lists of the directory parts and the file-within-directory parts of
      all prerequisites that are newer than the target.
 
    Note that we use a special stylistic convention when we talk about
 these automatic variables; we write "the value of `$<'", rather than
 "the variable `<'" as we would write for ordinary variables such as
 `objects' and `CFLAGS'.  We think this convention looks more natural in
 this special case.  Please do not assume it has a deep significance;
 `$<' refers to the variable named `<' just as `$(CFLAGS)' refers to the
 variable named `CFLAGS'.  You could just as well use `$(<)' in place of
 `$<'.
 
Info Catalog (make.info.gz) Pattern Examples (make.info.gz) Pattern Rules (make.info.gz) Pattern Match
automatically generated by info2html