touching dependency files

[Bruce Korb]

Hi,

I'm looking for a bit of advice on what makes the most sense.
One can create these handy little dependency files that give
make a better understanding of how built files get derived.
However, with the AMDEP conditional, you wind up with this:

> if AMDEP
> ENCODE_DEP_ARG  = -MF$(DEPDIR)/uuencode-opts.dep -MP
> include $(DEPDIR)/uuencode-opts.dep
>
> DECODE_DEP_ARG  = -MF$(DEPDIR)/uudecode-opts.dep -MP
> include $(DEPDIR)/uudecode-opts.dep
>
> UNSHAR_DEP_ARG  = -MF$(DEPDIR)/unshar-opts.dep -MP
> include $(DEPDIR)/unshar-opts.dep
>
> SHAR_DEP_ARG  = -MF$(DEPDIR)/shar-opts.dep -MP
> include $(DEPDIR)/shar-opts.dep
> else
> ENCODE_DEP_ARG  =
> DECODE_DEP_ARG  =
> UNSHAR_DEP_ARG  =
> SHAR_DEP_ARG  =
> endif

I'd like to avoid stamp files, but I cannot remove these .dep
files without breaking conditional-include-free make program builds.
So it boils down to this:  should I use stamp files, or manipulate
the modification time on these .dep files, a la what I've done below.
Please note the funny phony target.

> $ cat .deps/uuencode-opts.dep
> # Makefile dependency file created by:          -*- Mode: Makefile -*-
> # /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/bin/autogen
> # with the following command line arguments:
> #   -MF.deps/uuencode-opts.dep \
> #   -MP \
> #   uudecode-opts.def
> AUTOGEN_uuencode_opts_dep_TList = \
>         uudecode-opts.h \
>         uudecode-opts.c
>
> AUTOGEN_uuencode_opts_dep_SList = \
>         uudecode-opts.def \
>         shar-std.def \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/options.tpl \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/optlib.tlib \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/tpl-config.tlib \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/gpl.lic \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/opthead.tlib \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/optcode.tlib \
>         /old-home/ROOT/usr/local/share/autogen/optmain.tlib
>
> .deps/uuencode-opts.dep : $(AUTOGEN_uuencode_opts_dep_SList)
>
> $(AUTOGEN_uuencode_opts_dep_TList) : .deps/uuencode-opts.dep
>         @:
>
> .PHONY : clean-.deps/uuencode-opts.dep
>
> clean-.deps/uuencode-opts.dep :
>         rm -f  $(AUTOGEN_uuencode_opts_dep_TList)
>         touch -t 199912312359 .deps/uuencode-opts.dep