ccmakedep - create dependencies in makefiles using a C compiler

ccmakedep [ cpp-flags ] [ -wwidth ] [ -smagic-string ] [ -fmakefile ] [ -oobject-suffix ] [ -v ] [ -a ] [ -cccompiler ] [ -- options -- ] sourcefile ...

The ccmakedep program calls a C compiler to preprocess each sourcefile, and uses the output to construct makefile rules describing their dependencies. These rules instruct make(1) on which object files must be recompiled when a dependency has changed.

By default, ccmakedep places its output in the file named makefile if it exists, otherwise Makefile. An alternate makefile may be specified with the -f option. It first searches the makefile for a line beginning with # DO NOT DELETE or one provided with the -s option, as a delimiter for the dependency output. If it finds it, it will delete everything following this up to the end of the makefile and put the output after this line. If it doesn't find it, the program will append the string to the makefile and place the output after that.

Normally, ccmakedep will be used in a makefile target so that typing 'make depend' will bring the dependencies up to date for the makefile. For example,

    SRCS0=0file1.c0file2.c0...
    CFLAGS0=0-O0-DHACK0-I../foobar0-xyz
    depend:
            ccmakedep0--0$(CFLAGS)0--0$(SRCS)

The program will ignore any option that it does not understand, so you may use the same arguments that you would for cc(1), including -D and -U options to define and undefine symbols and -I to set the include path.

-a

Append the dependencies to the file instead of replacing existing dependencies.

-cccompiler

Use this compiler to generate dependencies.

-fmakefile

Filename. This allows you to specify an alternate makefile in which ccmakedep can place its output. Specifying - as the file name (that is, -f-) sends the output to standard output instead of modifying an existing file.

-sstring

Starting string delimiter. This option permits you to specify a different string for ccmakedep to look for in the makefile. The default is # DO NOT DELETE.

-v

Be verbose: display the C compiler command before running it.

-- options --

If ccmakedep encounters a double hyphen (--) in the argument list, then any unrecognized arguments following it will be silently ignored. A second double hyphen terminates this special treatment. In this way, ccmakedep can be made to safely ignore esoteric compiler arguments that might normally be found in a CFLAGS make macro (see the EXAMPLE section above). -D, -I, and -U options appearing between the pair of double hyphens are still processed normally.

cc(1), make(1), makedepend(1), ccmakedep(1).

ccmakedep was written by the X Consortium.

Colin Watson wrote this manual page, originally for the Debian Project, based partly on the manual page for makedepend(1).