Re: Expansion of recursively expanded variables

[Paul D. Smith]

%% Matt Hastie <address@hidden> writes:

Pls. try to avoid sending HTML to the mailing list; plain text is quite
sufficient.  Thanks!
 
  mh> foo:
  mh>  @echo "test" > bar
  mh>  @echo "bar = $(shell cat bar)"

  mh> I get the following error:
 
  mh> $ make
  mh> cat: cannot open bar
  mh> bar = 
 
  mh> From reading through the current bug list, it would appear as
  mh> though this behavior is manifested as a result of make's current
  mh> variable instantiation algorithm, which instantiates all variables
  mh> at the beginning of a rule.

Yes.

  mh> With this limitation in place, it is impossible to 'make' a
  mh> Makefile from rules which may analyze the makefile under
  mh> construction, as follows:

  mh> include targets.d
 
  mh> targets.d : Makefile
  mh>     $(call create-rule-to-append-targets-file)
  mh>     $(call create-rule-to-analyze-and-append-targets-file) # fails,
  mh> because 
  mh>     # shell commands used to interpret the targets.d file contents are
  mh> executed
  mh>     # before the targets.d file is created.

Can you give me an idea of what the contents of these variables might
be, that cause this problem?  If they are $(shell ...) functions, then
why are you doing this?  Why not just write them directly as shell
commands in the command script?

If they aren't $(shell ...) functions, then how can they "interpret" a
file?  Make has no builtin functions that read files, etc.

-- 
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 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist