Re: Counter-intuitive behaviour when using recursive variables as pre requisites

[Paul D. Smith]

%% Rammelt Andreas <address@hidden> writes:

  ra> Today I had a hard time discovering an error in a Makefile I
  ra> wrote: it seems like recursive variables are not expanded
  ra> recursively when used as a prerequisite. Checking with another
  ra> make program this seems to be correct behaviour, but I would like
  ra> to see that at a prominent place in the infodoc, where I didn't
  ra> find it.

Recursive variables are _always_ expanded recursively.

What you mean is, they're not expanded _when_ you expect them to be.

  ra> In both cases the "echo $(VARIBALE)" lines give the same result,
  ra> but the "echo $^" lines differ.

100% correct.

  ra> I'm still hoping this is a real bug and not just a documentation
  ra> flaw...

It's neither a bug nor a documentation flaw--well, anyway, the behavior
_IS_ documented.

See the GNU make manual section "How `make' Reads a Makefile", in the
chapter "Writing Makefiles".

If you have specific suggestions as to where references to this section
could be added to make it simpler to find, please let us know.

Thanks.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Paul D. Smith <address@hidden>          Find some GNU make tips at:
 http://www.gnu.org                      http://www.paulandlesley.org/gmake/
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist