Debugging Makefiles

Here is some information on debugging Makefiles:

showing symbol values, and showing file dependencies

There's a good Dr. Dobbs article on this topic, by John Graham-Cumming, at:

• Debugging Makefiles

or printable, all-in-one page, at http://www.embedded.com/columns/technicalinsights/197003517?printable=true

This article describes some macros you can put in your Makefiles to show you the values of symbols, and to show the dependencies that led to a particular target being built. This is handy if you have a complex Makefile that you are trying to debug.

Makefile Debugger

John has also written a Makefile Debugger. The following resources are needed to use this debugger:

• Download gmsl (a library of gnu make stuff), from http://gmsl.sf.net/
• Download gmd (the debugger itself), from http://gmd.sf.net/

Expand the tarballs from these, and place __gmsl, gmsl and gmd in the directory with the Makefile you wish to debug.

Add the following lines to your Makefile:

include gdm

and

all:
        $(__BREAKPOINT)

See the following articles for more information:

• An Interactive GNU Make Debugger
• Dynamic Breakpoints in the GNU Make Debugger