makefile delimma

From: Billy Patton (bpatton_at_ti.com)
Date: 11/18/04 

Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 06:53:25 -0600

I have been working for the last week on a prototype flow controller using a
set of makefiles. Trent has been VERY helpful.

Here's my delimma.
I have, currently, 4 tasks which must be done.
all: task1 task2 task3 task4

Each of the tasks call a seperate makefile. (the top sets environment
variables)

Each of these individual tasks are dependant of several files within a
clearcase vob. THese files MUST exist for that task to run. BUT, here's the
problem. I still need to know when the data did not exist. I don't want
to write seperate scripts, one to run and one to report missing data. It
seems my only choice is to have a wrapper that will check for the existance
of the required data and report in the .lis it is missing. BTW all stdio is
captured in task.lis

So if make is going to bomb when one or more of the dependancies are missing
this will not get the .lis file and it is part of what I use to create a .proof
file.

So if I use the -k switch and the dependancy is not there will the make
continue to run?
If it does continue. then the script may die because of no data. If the script
dies, dependant on the original author, I may get no feedback other than a
segmentation violation.

So I need to have wrappers that will take unvalidated input.
check for it's existance.
run the task if all data exists |tee to .list and stdout

I believe I'm seeing what is the problem.
I need to use make file for just determining success or failure and let
wrappers determine about the data.
I'll have to duplicate the dependancy functionality in perl or bash

If you don't follow what I'm writing don't worry. Typing this has clarified a
lot for me. I was trying to do TOO much in a makefile.

I need to drop back and rethink if make can actually do anything to benefit or
would it be just one more way to skin a cat :)

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Texas Instruments ASIC Circuit Design Methodology Group
Dallas, Texas, 214-480-4455, b-patton@ti.com

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