Re: Checking software build tries for “commands.cmo”

[SF Markus Elfring]

>> I have noticed a moment ago that an interface description file was missing
>> somehow for the OCaml source file in this compilation attempt.
> ...
>> I wonder then that the make tool did not give me a direct clue for a failed
>> software dependency as I am used to in other cases.
> Would you have it complain that commands.mli,v, RCS/commands.mli,v,
> RCS/commands.mli, s.commands.mli and SCCS/s.commands.mli were missing?

Not really in this use case.


> The existence of any of those would have let make build commands.mli, hence 
> commands.cmo.

This interface description file could also be generated by a command variant
of the OCaml compiler. But it seems that it is finally not needed for
the build scripts which I am trying to update.


> Can you come up with a specification for finding which of the possible
> missing dependencies is the one that you actually care about?

Can an error message like “The target “commands.cmo” could not be built
because the specified dependency “commands.mli” did not exist.”
be more appropriate instead of the message “make: Nothing to be done
for 'commands.cmo'.”?

Regards,
Markus