Trying to avoid a repeated search for a prerequisite (or target)

[SF Markus Elfring]

Hello,

The variable “VPATH” has got a special meaning for the make software.
https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/General-Search.html

“…
Thus, if a file that is listed as a target or prerequisite does not exist
in the current directory, make searches …
…”


I would interpret this information also in the way that it indicates a few
optimisation possibilities to avoid the second search try there.

* A used path can eventually never fit to the current directory.
  Can this only happen with absolute paths?

* The relevant files refer to a separate build directory
  (instead of a source file directory).


So I imagine that the execution of make rules can be influenced by the detail
if an unique path was specified.
Will any efforts for the construction of such unique paths pay off?


I got another software development concern in this context:
How much can the usage of absolute paths influence the desired name resolution
between targets and prerequisites in make (static) pattern rules?

Regards,
Markus