Re: insufficient debug info from gnu-make

[Eric Melski]

Peter Lawrence wrote:
> great if you want to see what was actually executed,
> not so great if you want to figure out where in the make sources you 
> need to start looking,
> both are realistic wants.
>
>
> when things get as messy as gcc's makefiles, I'ld like to be able to see 
> both the before and after macro substitutions
> versions of the commands lines....
>
> .....or, at least the line numbers (along with directory/filename)  so I 
> know where to look in the original source

ElectricAccelerator, a gmake replacement, can produce an annotated build 
log that includes this information.  I've written about that feature here:

http://blog.electric-cloud.com/2009/11/10/how-to-quickly-navigate-an-unfamiliar-makefile/

SparkBuild (http://www.sparkbuild.com) is a free version of Accelerator 
that also includes this feature.  It can be pretty handy in situations 
like the one you describe.

Best regards,

Eric Melski
Electric Cloud, Inc.
http://blog.electric-cloud.com/