Re: setting a make "include" path right from the get-go

[Robert P. J. Day]

On Mon, 8 Dec 2008, Garrett Cooper wrote:

> On Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 5:49 AM, Robert P. J. Day <address@hidden> wrote:
> > On Sun, 7 Dec 2008, Robert P. J. Day wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>   i realize this is a trivial question but i just want to be
> >> absolutely sure i'm doing this the right way.
> >>
> >>   i have a sizable recursive make structure and i want to add
> >> "include"s in various makefiles to pull in useful "utility" makefiles
> >> in various places.
> >>
> >>   i know the proper way to do that is to use the "-I" option on the
> >> make invocation.  now, if my *top* level Makefile doesn't need to do
> >> any includes, i'm fairly sure i can set the include search path in
> >> that makefile, then use ${MAKE} from there on to make sure everyone
> >> below picks up the search path.
> >>
> >>   if the top-level makefile *does* need that include search path, my
> >> idea was to alias "make" to "make -I..." so that one doesn't need to
> >> keep typing that option explicitly.
> >>
> >>   is that about right?  or is there a more elegant way to do this?
> >> thanks.
> >
> >  i guess a simpler question (which i'm sure i know the answer to) is:
> > a Makefile that wants to use the "include" directive can *not* set its
> > own include search path -- only those of its sub-makes, correct?
> >
> > rday
>
> As I discovered last week, yes.

  here's a clearer description of what i'm faced with.  i've been
handed a sizable multi-level recursive make-based software repository,
which takes advantage of including some useful utility makefiles
throughout.  however, all of those includes *hardcode* the address of
the utility makefile, as in

  include ../../someutil.mak

  i want to clean all that up and have make use an include-dir path
and be able to change all of the above to, of course, the simpler:

  include someutil.mak

the question is how to set the include-dir at the top level, and have
it percolate down through sub-make after sub-make.  many of the
existing makefiles perform further makes just by running "make" when,
at the very least, they should use ${MAKE}, but even that won't solve
the problem.

  is there a simple solution to somehow setting the include-dir value
upon invocation and having it then apply throughout the recursive make
structure?  yes, i have the freedom to go in and hack any makefiles i
want.

rday
--

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Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
    Have classroom, will lecture.

http://crashcourse.ca                          Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
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