CLAM: Coordinated Librarian &

Automatic Maker

Tutorial and Reference Manual

By Chris Koeritz (koeritz@gruntose.com)

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Preparing Your Computer to Use CLAM
    1. Necessary Steps
  3. CLAM Tutorial
    1. Caveats
    2. Basics
    3. Common Files
    4. Important Variables
    5. Variable Assignment
    6. Optional Variables
    7. Writing Your Own Rules
    8. Conclusion
  4. CLAM Reference
    1. Language Independent Variables
    2. Language Independent Rules
    3. Language Independent Targets
    4. Language Independent Files
    5. C++ Specific Variables
      1. Directory Structure Variables
      2. Compiler Dependent Flags
      3. Microsoft Visual C++ Only
      4. Support for Compilation Extensions
    6. C++ Specific Rules
    7. C++ Specific Targets
    8. C++ Specific Files
  5. Example CLAM Makefiles
  6. CLAM Hints and Troubleshooting
  7. Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

    The CLAM system is a set of macros and rules for the GNU make program that simplifies the creation of executable programs and code libraries.  Most makefiles that use the CLAM system are ten lines long or less.  Makefiles are stated in terms of a set of special variable names that CLAM interprets in order to issue the correct sequence of compilation directives.  This document presents a tutorial on the variable names and simple rules that need to be used with CLAM.  Several example makefiles and the full reference manual for CLAM are also included.
    CLAM is part of the Feisty Meow® codebase (http://feistymeow.org/) and can be downloaded from there or through a sourceforge mirror site.
    In the remainder of the document, we will often refer to CLAM as just "clam".
 

Preparing Your Computer to Use CLAM

Necessary Steps:

  1. Setting environment variables for clam:
    1. FEISTY_MEOW_APEX:
        2. DEPRECATED
      1. **REVISE** out of date... This variable has been needed since clam became part of the YETIcode project (at http://feistymeow.org).
      2. The default location for clam is under the FEISTY_MEOW_SCRIPTS directory in a folder named clam.
      3. If the yeti root directory is in $HOME/yeti already, then the default for FEISTY_MEOW_APEX will work and it doesn't need to be declared.
      4. Setting the variable:
        1. On Unix (with the bash shell): export MAKEFLAGS="-I $HOME/yeti/clam"
        2. On win32: set MAKEFLAGS="-I c:/yeti/clam"  (or set this in the System control panel, under the advanced tab, in environment variables)
        3. Note that the use of forward slashes is mandatory in the clam directory in MAKEFLAGS.
    2. MAKEFLAGS:
      1. This variable is required to be set in the environment before using clam with gnu-make.  It tells make where to find the clam definitions and scripts.
      2. Setting the variable:
        1. On Unix (assuming bash as shell): export MAKEFLAGS="-I $FEISTY_MEOW_APEX/clam"
        2. On win32: set MAKEFLAGS="-I %FEISTY_MEOW_APEX%/clam"
        3. This variable also requires forward slashes instead of backslashes.
  2. Required Tools:
    1. The compiler itself:
      1. If you are running GNU/Linux (or almost any other Posix-compliant operating system), then the GNU C/C++ compiler suite is pretty much all that's needed.
      2. The GNU C/C++ compiler (included in the MinGW toolkit) should be all that's needed for compilation, but the Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0-8.0 compilers can be used if available.  Compatibility is only guaranteed for vc8 however.
    2. Win32 Unix Tools:
      1.  If you are running a win32-based product (windows NT, windows 2000, windows xp, etc) then a few additional tools are required...
      2. The recommended GNU utilities are available for win32 in the MingW MSYS package (http://www.mingw.org/).
      3. Note that you will need to add the binaries directory from MSYS to your path.  The PATH variable can be accessed under MS-NT type OSes through the "control panel | system | advanced | environment variables" menu trail.  If you plan to use msys outside of clam, then ensure that the MSYS bin directory is prior to the windows system directory in your path; this causes the Unix "find" command to be used instead of the Windows version.
      4. Alternatively, a similar set of GNU utilities is available in the Cygwin package, although these tools are no longer recommended and are, in fact, actively deprecated.
    3. makedep and version_stamper tools:
      1. The CLAM_BINARIES directory in the archive has pre-built versions of tools used by clam during a build.
      2. If you would rather rebuild them from source, then running the script "scripts/generator/produce_feisty_meow.sh" will recreate all of these internal tools.
  3. Third Party Tools Used By or Supported Within clam:
    1. wx widgets:
      1. home page: http://www.wxwidgets.org/
      2. As far as the clam team is concerned, this is the premier portable (and open source) library for graphical user interfaces.
    2. OpenSSL:
      1. home page: http://www.openssl.org/
      2. This is the team's most favorite library for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and general encryption needs.
    3. cURL:
      1. home page: http://curl.haxx.se/
      2. The curl library rocks(!) and provides a very powerful set of tools for programmatically interacting with live web pages.
  4. Other clam Preconditions:
    1. Linux platforms:
      1. The standard source code repository is a directory called "feisty_meow" in the user's home directory.  If you decompress the feisty_meow library archive in your home directory, you should be all set to perform a build.
      2. See the Feisty Meow Concerns Ltdwebsite for more details about downloading that codebase (http://feistymeow.org).
    2. Win32 platforms:
      1. The standard repository for source code is a substituted drive l:, which is where all the other hierarchies start.  This drive can be mapped to any folder desired using the "subst" command (for example, "subst l: c:\build_dir").  All objects and final products will be generated to the l: drive.
      2. Using MS Visual Studio as the Compiler:
        1. VS80COMNTOOLS/VS90COMNTOOLS/VS100COMNTOOLS variable:
          1. This variable should be automatically created by Visual Studio upon installation.  If it isn't, then Microsoft has a bug or you need to restart your current prompt or your computer.
          2. The paths that clam uses to find compiler binaries is calculated based on this variable.
          3. Older versions of visual studio are currently unsupported because Microsoft constantly rearranges their folders and tools in a non-maintainable way.
        2. Several other environment variables are required by Visual Studio.  They can be set up for your current command prompt by running "vcvars32.bat" or "vsvars32.bat" (found under the compiler's common directory, which varies depending on the version of visual studio).

CLAM Tutorial

     This section provides an overview of how clam works and how you can make it work for you.  It is quite brief, but should suffice for most common cases of makefiles.  For more detailed usage, consult the CLAM Reference section of this document.

Caveats

Basics

     The C++ Library Automatic Maker system (or CLAM) is defined as a set of variable (or macro) definitions.  These variable definitions are manipulated in order to compile and link programs.  By setting the variables' values appropriately, specific products can be generated from the target rules defined in clam.  Both variables and rules are extensible.  The general procedure for building a clam-based Makefile has four user-defined steps:
  1. loading the default variables for clam,
  2. redefining the default variables where necessary,
  3. loading the default rule set for clam,
  4. defining rules that are local to the user's Makefile.
Step 4 can usually be omitted unless the project creates components whose types are not supported by clam.
     clam is structured as a directory hierarchy where the root of clam supports the most general makefile activities.  Activities such as recursing into subdirectories and providing support for cleaning up after a make are provided at this level.   In the remainder of the document, we will designate this location with a "$" character to clarify what part of the clam hierarchy we are describing.
     The root clam support files are mostly language independent, since they are used by all varieties of language dependent derived versions of clam.  These files are generally not of concern unless one is designing a new derived version of clam for a language not yet supported.
     The subdirectories off of the clam root provide "derived" makefile services, such as C++ or Ada compilation.  Each derived clam service implements at least two files to link into the rest of the clam system: a variables file and a rules file.  The variables file defines the options for the derived make process; by changing the values of these, different types of targets can be created.  The rules file implements creation of the targets relevant to the programming language being supported.
     It may be worth noting that clam can be used to drive any kind of programmatic process--not just compilation.  Currently though, program compilation is the primary goal.

Common Files

     The top-level file called "$/variables.def" contains definitions and descriptions of the variables used throughout the clam system.  For a non-derived type of make (using only base clam support), this file should be included near the start of the user's Makefile.  The rules file (stored in "$/rules.def") should be included after the user has modified the appropriate variables that will dictate how the make is performed.
     This scheme of including variables at the top and then rules at the bottom of the user's makefile is employed in all clam makefiles.  For example, makefiles for C++ compilation are structured the same way.  The user's C++ makefile includes the C++ variables (stored in a subdirectory called "$/cpp" under the clam root) at the top of the makefile and then includes the C++ rules at the bottom.
     An example of a C++ makefile is shown below: The interior of the makefile overrides the TYPE, SOURCE and TARGETS variables for C++ compilation to specify what is to be built (basis.lib) and what it consists of (the CPP files mentioned in SOURCE).   The PROJECT variable being overridden is actually defined in the $/variables.def; a project name is a required feature of all clam makefiles.

Important Variables

     The clam root directory is pointed to by an internal variable called "CLAM_SCRIPTS", defined in $/variables.def.  This variable is used by the clam system to find extra files that might be needed by derived makefile support.  It is important to change this to the appropriate value when you are using the system in a different location.  The CLAM_SCRIPTS variable can either be directly edited in $/variables.def, or it can be overridden in the environment of the shell running the make, or it can be passed on the command line to make.
     For C++ compilation, the above example makefile (for basis.lib) contains examples for most of the required elements.  Additional elements will be discussed in the examples section or can be found in the reference.  The absolutely required variables for C++ are PROJECT, TYPE, SOURCE and TARGETS.

     PROJECT is a variable that provides the name of the project being compiled.  This should be a word that can also be used as a directory name and partial component of filenames.  Thus, spaces and other unusual punctuation characters are discouraged.  All of the project's temporary directories will be created based on this variable.  This project name should be unique across a full build; otherwise files generated by compiling identical project names will be jumbled together.

     TYPE is a variable that describes the kind of project that is being compiled.  This is necessary because it controls some aspects of the compilation, such as where the compilation products are generated.  All files generated by compilation are stored in the repository directory (by default, either "~/feisty_meow" in Linux or "l:\" in win32).  There are three TYPEs supported so far:

DEPRECATED      Projects of the "library" type will be given an include directory named after the project, such as "~/feisty_meow/include/basis".  The include directory is created as a copy of the headers in the project's directory .  Library projects will also have their final products copied to the lib or dll subdirectories of the build directory being created.
     Projects that are of type "application" will have their executables copied to the executable directory in the repository (such as "~/hoople/exe").
     The "test" type of project will be promoted to a subdirectory named after the PROJECT that resides under the test hierarchy in the repository (such as "~/hoople/tests/turbodog"). DEPRECATED

     SOURCE is a list of files that are to be compiled in order to create the final products of the project.  These can be C++ source files (*.cpp), MS-Win32 resource files (*.rc) and other types of source files.  The list of objects to create will be determined by transforming the list of SOURCE files (such as by turning a file called "fud.cpp" into an object called "fud.obj").

     TARGETS is a list of the products that are to be created by compilation and linking.  The suffix of a target is a well established extension, such as ".lib", ".exe" or ".dll" for MS-Win32 compilation products.

Variable Assignment Policies

     The assignment of variable values is mostly straightforward, but it might be valuable to provide a refresher.  In GNU make, a variable (a.k.a. macro) can be assigned using the following syntax: This sets the variable named FRED to the value of "a b c".  The variable is referred to as $(FRED) when it is being used, although its name is just FRED.
     This syntax is fine when the variable is to be defined only once.  In many cases though, a variable is already defined and needs to be added to instead of redefined.  Using the standard equals (=) operator would wipe out the previous definition, so a special assignment is provided: This is quite similar to the C syntax on integers.  It means that FRED will be given a value equal to its old value plus the new contents.  In our example, FRED would be equal to "a b c d e f".  Note that one cannot say:

          FRED = $(FRED) d e f       (BAD!)

This is not allowed in GNU make because it includes a macro's own value in its definition.  This causes a badly formed recursive definition of the variable; a variable dereferencing operation (such as $(FRED)) causes the variable's current value to be resolved, which in turn dereferences any other variables in the definition.  Thus, the reference to $(FRED) causes infinite recursion when included in the definition of FRED.

     In the case of variables that must be defined by the user's makefile, the standard assignment operator (via the = character) can be used.  This includes the PROJECT, TYPE, SOURCE, and TARGETS variables.  Also, any other variables that are set only by the user's makefile can use simple assignment.  This category includes LOCAL_LIBS_USED, LIBS_USED and others of similar nature.
     But several variables are defined partially by clam, then added to within the user's makefile, and then possibly extended after the user's makefile is processed (by the clam rules file).  These variables cannot use standard assignment and must instead use the incremental assignment (+=) operator.  Variables included in this category are DEFINITIONS, LOAD_FLAG_PREFIX, CLEANUPS, and many others.
     If you are unsure about the type of variable you are defining, then the incremental assignment (+=) operator is preferred to avoid trashing the variable's previous values.
     Note that when variables are "exported", then any make in a subshell will inherit the parent shell's value.  This can induce some weird behavior for variables that are incrementally constructed with the += operator.  If this seems to be happening, try using the simple assignment operator for that variable in the sub-makefile, if this is allowed.  In general though, variables are not exported unless they MUST be seen by shell scripts and this does not occur overly frequently.

Optional Variables

     There are several miscellaneous variables that are useful, either within one's makefiles or when passed to GNU make on the command line.  These are described below.

     LOCAL_LIBS_USED is a list of library names that are to be linked in with the library or executable being created.  These are specially formatted names; they are just the prefix part of the full library name.  For example, if you're building a release executable and want to link in a data structures library "i_adt.lib" (win32) or "libi_adt.a" (Linux), you can specify:
        LOCAL_LIBS_USED = i_adt
The appropriate prefix and suffix will be attached.

     EXTRA_COPIES is a list of files that should be copied to a project's output folder when it is done being compiled.  These should be files that are not already copied as the main products, such as extra data or configuration files that belong with an application.

     EXTRA_VERSIONS is a list of version files that also need to be updated to the main build version during a compilation.  These are usually needed if a project compiles several executable files, and each one performs version checking.  (By default, any project containing a file called "version.ini" will get a version stamp from the main build version.)

Writing Your Own Rules

     One might need to write new rules for processing file types that are not directly supported by clam.  There are a number of features provided for writing rules, but there are also some requirements placed on the rules.
     All rules in makefiles need to be prefaced with one of the provided "launcher" macros.  These are used to ensure that the rules can be properly executed on different platforms; Windoze95 was especially hard to implement for until these macros were developed (due to what appear to be basic defects in the command line support).  All preaching aside, here are the macros: Here are some examples of using the macros properly.  Note that the command itself must be contained in single quotes:

$(HIDER) $(MIDL) crumpet_server.idl
MIDL is also a provided macro; it executes the Microsoft IDL compiler.
$(HIDESH) $(CLAM_SCRIPTS)/postconditions.sh
This runs a shell script that handles the end portion of a make.

Conclusion

     This tutorial is intended to raise awareness of basic  usage.  Hopefully the reader will now be able to create simple makefiles that use .  For more aggressive compilation requirements, the reference section may be needed; it describes every variable and rule used in the  system.  However, it is most likely the case that your unsupported compilation needs will also be required by others in the future, and it is hoped that you will contribute them to the main-line  support.  Currently, the appropriate way to do this is just to send the makefile code to the library administrator, who will include them in the next version of .

CLAM Reference

Language Independent Variables

     The language independent variables are stored in the file "$/variables.def".  They define the overall structure of a make and can usually be overridden to customize how the make is performed.

BUILD_BEFORE

     This is a list of projects that need to be created before this project can be created.  The items in the list are interpreted as directories that contain a makefile to be run.  For example, if an item in BUILD_BEFORE is listed as ?fred?, then the target "fred.make" will be executed.  That target changes to the directory 'fred' before running the makefile there.  The project in the specified directory is created using make if needed (as determined by that directory's Makefile).  The projects in BUILD_BEFORE are made immediately after the FIRST_TARGETS are made.

ACTUAL_TARGETS, ACTUAL_FIRST_TARGETS, ACTUAL_LAST_TARGETS

     See below for TARGETS, FIRST_TARGETS and LAST_TARGETS.

BUILD_AFTER

     A list of directory names that should be recursed into after this project finishes.  Each listed directory will have make started on any makefile found.

BUILD_BEFORE

     A list of directory names that should be recursed into before this project starts.  Each directory listed will have make started on any makefile found.

MAKEFILE_NAME

     A variable that specifies the name of the makefile for all sub-makes.  It works with BUILD_BEFORE and BUILD_AFTER and allows the name of the makefile in a subdirectory to be changed to something other than 'makefile'.  This supports different types of builds which are controlled by different makefile names.

PARAMETER_FILE

     A file name that is usually found at the root of the repository.  The name is often "build.ini", but any name can be used as the parameter file.  This file is an extension of the variable set included in $/variables.def and can be used to provide compilation paramters without resorting to the command line.  This file is associated with a particular build rather than the  support, so different releases will have different build parameter files.  On systems supporting version information, the build's version number is stored here also.

CATCHER

     A sub-program launcher like HIDESH but this will trap errors it sees and play the build error CLAM_ERROR_SOUND.

CLAM_BINARIES

     This is a folder where the helper binaries for the CLAM makefile system are located.

CLAM_SCRIPTS

     This variable points at the location where the  definitions and helper scripts are located.  The default is "~/yeti/clam", but this can be overridden for local installations of .

CLAM_ERROR_SOUND

     This is a list of sound files that should be played when a make stops with an error.  It serves as an audible warning that something bad happened.

CLAM_FINISH_SOUND

     This is a list of sound files that should be played when the make has concluded successfully.  It should play when the outer-most make has seen all targets created as intended.

CLAM_TMP

     Specifies the location for temporary files generated during a make.  The default value usually works fine.  This directory will be created if it does not already exist.

CLEANUPS

     This is a list of files to be removed by the make clean command.  They are possibly acquired from the TARGETS defined in the user's Makefile, or by language dependent rules for cleaning.  Additional files can be added to this list by the user's makefile also.

DIRTY_FILE

     This variable points at a file that signifies that some targets have been remade.  It is not used at the base level of clam, but language-specific versions might do something special if targets were remade (such as put them in a build repository).

FAILURE_FILE

     This file is used as a flag that indicates when a make has failed.  The particular file used depends on the project name for this makefile.  It is cleared at both the beginning and end of a make.

FIRST_TARGETS

     The FIRST_TARGETS are made before any libraries are created and before any executables are compiled.  There must be a rule for making every entry in this list, either through implicit rules or explicit ones provided by the user's makefile.

FLAG_FILES

     This is a list of all the files that are used for compilation flags.  They are whacked at the beginning and end of a make.

HIDER

     This macro is used throughout  to hide the commands that are being sent to the operating system.  It can be disabled to allow a verbose make (see the NOISY macro).

HIDESH

     Just like HIDER, but this macro is specifically for launching shell scripts.  Some versions of GNU make (like Cygwin's) have problems running scripts which don't arise when running executable files.  Those problems led to the creation of the HIDESH macro for those specific cases.  This is not an issue for Unix systems.

 LAST_TARGETS

     The LAST_TARGETS are made after all of the other standard targets are made.  Their must be a rule for making every entry in this list, either through implicit rules or explicit ones provided by the user's makefile.

NOISY

     This variable can be used to cause a verbose make.  If the variable is non-empty, then all commands will be echoed to standard output.  Otherwise, the default is to hide the commands that are issued and just show the output of running those commands.

OP_SYSTEM

     This is a flag that defines the operating system name.  This flag is sometimes used to choose the appropriate tools per platform or to conditionally compile code for system dependent interfaces.  The available possibilities so far are UNIX, OS2, SYSV (System V Unix), DOS, and WIN32.  Only UNIX and WIN32 are currently very functional.

 OTHER_CLEANS

     These are targets to execute before performing the main clean up during "make clean".  These might be targets that contain shell commands to execute as part of clean up or they could contain the "clean_subdirs" command (defined below).

PROJECT

     This is a variable that provides the name of the project being compiled.  This should be a word that can also be used as a directory name and as a partial component of filenames.  Thus, spaces and other unusual punctuation characters are discouraged.  All of the project's temporary directories will be created based on this variable.

FEISTY_MEOW_APEX

     Specifies the root directory for compilation or other  building activities.   The repository is also where source code and final products of compilation reside, unless the default is over-ridden (see TARGETS_STORE).

SH & SHELL

     These variables both point at a shell program that is used for starting commands.  SHELL is defined by GNU make, whereas SH is defined by .

SUB_FLAG_FILES

     This is a list of the compilation flag files which should be destroyed only at the end of a make.  They are used for communication with submakefiles--makefiles that were invoked by "this" makefile.

SUBMAKE_FLAG

     This points to a file whose presence indicates that a "submake" performed some actions.  The flag can be interpreted by some language-specific versions of  as a reason to set a flag using the DIRTY_FILE.

TARGETS

     These are the products to be created by .  Each item listed in TARGETS should have a rule that knows how to create that type of file.  The language independent system provides very few suffix based rules.  TARGETS is filled in by the user in their  file, but it is not used directly by the  system.  Instead, a generated variable called ACTUAL_TARGETS is used.

TARGETS_STORE

     This folder is where all generated files are to be stored.  It is usually identical to FEISTY_MEOW_APEX but can be overridden when the targets should be stored elsewhere.

Version components: major, minor, revision, build

     These four variables specify the version of this particular build.  They are usually stored in the PARAMETER_FILE.  The major and minor versions are the traditional 2.3, 4.0, etc style of release numbers.  The revision number is often used to sequence the builds of that particular release, such that build 3.5.127 is the 127th build of the 3.5 release.
     A version-tagged file (such as an executable or dynamic library) with any one of the major, minor or revision numbers differing from an installed build is incompatible with the installed build.  An executable file or dynamic library will not be allowed to load other dynamic libraries where these numbers differ.
     The last version component is misleadingly called "build"; this number specifies the service pack level for a file.  Files whose versions only differ in the last "build" component are intended to be compatible with each other.  The understanding is that if only that number differs, then the external interface to the file has not changed, although the interior implementation may have.

Language Independent Rules

     The file "$/rules.def" uses the composite macros defined in "$/variables.def" together with a set of make rules to perform actions during compilation.  The rules file should be included in the user's Makefile after the compilation variables have been initialized for the project being compiled.  The user's own targets should be placed after the directive that includes "$/rules.def".

%.halt

     These targets cause  to exit, usually to avoid something that it considers catastrophic.  An example of this would be when  finds an inappropriate entry in the list of objects to create; allowing a "make clean" on this makefile will delete files that are probably not intended.  Hence, when  finds this kind of usage, it will stop the make and issue a complaint.

%.make

     Used to compile a makefile in a subdirectory named "%".  This rule is employed by the BUILD_BEFORE macro, but can be used in the user's makefile targets also.

Language Independent Targets

    The following targets are defined by "$/rules.def".

all

     This is a standard target that is executed when no particular target is specified at the make command line.  It is an umbrella target that invokes all of the other targets required to perform a make.  The order in which the major targets are created is:
  1. FIRST_TARGETS
  2. TARGETS
  3. LAST_TARGETS

clean

     This causes all of the files in CLEANUPS to be removed and also executes all of the targets in OTHER_CLEANS.  The language dependent system can override some of this behavior or it can just add more files to the list of CLEANUPS.

clean_subdirs

     This is similar to "make_subdirs" in that it descends into the subdirectories in no particular order, but it runs "make clean" in each of them.  This allows a directory hierarchy of projects to be cleaned with one command.

finish

     The "finish" target represents the completion of a make, whether successful or not.  It reports the time and date (and logs them).

rm_links

     This target causes all link files in the current directory to be deleted.  This is only applicable on a Unix operating system.

make_subdirs

     This target allows a makefile to specify that all of the subdirectories under the current directory should be scanned for makefiles and that those makefiles should be executed.  If a makefile does not exist, it is skipped.  Note that the subdirectories are descended into in no particular order; the order depends on how the operating system decides to list the directories.  If the order of make is important, use BUILD_BEFORE instead.

start

     The "start" target represents the beginning of the make.  It reports the time and date (and logs them).

Language Independent Files

$(PARAMETER_FILE)

     This is a special file that has at least two purposes in .  It is the source of the version number that will be stamped on all the appropriate DLLs and EXEs created during a build.  It is also a place where build-wide compilation directives can be included so that they do not have to be passed on the command line.  For C++ compilation, this is usually an INI file stored in the FEISTY_MEOW_APEX under the build folder.  Here is a sample parameter file:
#\
[version]
major=14
minor=3
revision=140
build=0

DEBUG=t
OPTIMIZE=t

Note the bizarre comment at the top of the makefile; this is used to hide the "[version]" section marker.  The comment is required because the build parameter file is pulled directly into the makefile code to set the variables after the version stamp.  Without a comment in front of the section, a syntax error would result.  The "[version]" section marker is required because this file is also sometimes treated as a win32 INI file in order to read the version stamp.
     The build version is stored in the first four entries.  Our interpretation of the stamp is standard for "major" and "minor".  We treat the "revision" as a build revision number; within a release, there will be numerous revisions--one for each new build that is performed.  We then treat the "build" entry as a patch level within that particular build.  When we perform our version checking, only the first three entries are compared; the patch level in "build" is considered irrelevant.
     This example also specifies that the build should be a debug style (rather than release) build and that it should be optimizer.  We can also see that the flags for bounds checker instrumentation and true time analysis support are commented out.

badness_catcher.sh

     Runs the command line passed in as a sub-shell and looks for error conditions.  If an error occurred, the build is stopped and the CLAM_ERROR_SOUND is played.

datestamp.sh

     Echoes the time and date.  This is a separate file to make the cross-platform difference less annoying.

exit_make.sh

     Causes the make to stop dead in its tracks.

postconditions.sh

     Invoked at the end of the language-invariant portion of a make.

preconditions.sh

     Invoked at the beginning of the language-invariant portion of a make.

starter.sh

     This shell script executes a command that is passed to it as its parameters and logs error conditions to standard output.  It's used by the CATCHER macro.

C++ Specific Variables

     These variables are used throughout the C++ compilation support.  They are defined in "$/cpp/variables.def".

BASE_CPU

     Allows specification of the processor that the build is targeted for.  This is needed when special actions must be taken for different processor types.  Valid values currently include m68k (for Motorola 68000 series), m68340 (specifically the 68340), x86 (intel 386 and upwards), and ppc860 (the PowerPC 860).

BUILD_LIST_FILE

     The list of files that must be rebuilt.  This is only used with compilers that support compilation of multiple source files with one invocation of the compiler (currently only MS-Visual C++).

BUILD_WHACK_FILE

     A list of object files that must be destroyed if the make fails.  This is only relevant in the same situations as BUILD_LIST_FILE.

COMPILER

     This variable chooses the specific flags needed for the compiler.  Not all operating system choices above are suitable with the COMPILER choices, but generally it is fairly obvious which are supported.  The current possibilities include BORLAND_DOS, BORLAND_OS2, UNIX (default cc), GNU_OS2, GNU_LINUX, OBJECT_CENTER (Saber compiler), SUN_UNIX, VISUAL_CPP, and DIAB3.

COMPILER_FLAGS

     This is the list of flags passed to the preprocessor and compiler. It is composed of the SYSTEM, the DEFINITIONS, the SEARCH_DIRS, and any user-included options. If flags that don't fit one of the categories are needed, they can be added here.

CONSOLE_MODE

     This causes the program to be generated as a console application.  This is relevant in systems (such as win32) where programs have a split personality depending on whether they are to have graphical user interfaces or just console interfaces.

DEBUG_FLAGS

     These are flags used for generating specialized versions of object files, such as ones that include debugging code (e.g., for gdb) or ones that add code for profiling (e.g., gprof). Possible values in the Sun CenterLine Compiler environment are -g for debugging code and -pg for profiling.

DEFINITIONS

     This is a list of compiler flags that define the value of C or C++ macros. These usually have the format of ?-D<flag>?, but in this particular variable only the <flag> itself should be listed (because the compiler option characters ?-D? are added automatically).

DEPENDENCY_ADDITIONS

     This is a list of extra flags that gets passed to the auto-dependency tool.  The list can vary for each compiler.

DEPS_FILE

     This file is where the auto-dependency information is stored.  The "makedep" program is used to generate auto-dependency information for the files listed in SOURCE.  During a build, the DEPS_FILE is pulled into the actual code of the makefile; this causes the dependencies to be automatically included so that they can dictate the files that need to be rebuilt.

EXTRA_VERSIONS

     This is a list of version files that also need to be updated to the main build version during a compilation.  These are usually needed if a project compiles several executable files, and each one performs version checking.  By default, any project containing a file called "version.ini" will get a version stamp from the main build version.

LIBRARIAN_FLAGS

     This is a list of flags that are passed to the library creation tool.  Sometimes this must be overridden for a particular compiler.

LIBS_USED

     These are code libraries that the executables depend upon.  They are searched for in any of the directories listed in the LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATH.

LOAD_FLAG_PREFIX & LOAD_FLAG_SUFFIX

     These tell the linker and loader how to deal with the files and where to locate library components. The prefix is listed on the compilation command line before the object files are listed, and the suffix after. The prefix should contain information such as the directories to be searched for code libraries (although they should be added to LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATH).  In the suffix definition, actual library loading statements (like -lmath) can be included (although they should be listed in a different form in LIBS_USED or LOCAL_LIBS_USED).

LOCAL_LIBS_USED

     The names in this list actually cause the OBJECTS to be recompiled when the libraries listed have changed.  To accomplish this, these libraries MUST be located in the STATIC_LIBRARY_DIR rather than at some arbitrary place on the LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATH.  These libraries also must follow the special naming convention followed by ; if "basis" is an entry in this list, then a library called "basis.lib" will be sought during the build.

NO_COMPILE

     Specifies that no compilation should be performed.  Nothing in the SOURCE or TARGETS macros will be built.

NO_DEPS

     This is an exclusion flag.  If it is defined, then no auto-dependency files will be generated.  This is useful if you're missing the makedep tool and trying to compile it.

OBJECTS

     The OBJECTS are all those files that need to be created during compilation.  Usually this list is filled based on the files in SOURCE.

OPTIMIZE

     Causes the make to create optimized code.  The default optimization is for speed.

REBUILD

     If the REBUILD variable is non-empty, then all files listed in the SOURCE variable are touched.  This should cause all of those files to be rebuilt during the compilation.  Occasionally GNU make will complain that a file is newer than the current time, but this does not usually cause any problems.

SOURCE

     The SOURCE variable is a list of files that are to be compiled in order to create the final products of the project.  These can be C++ source files (*.cpp), Win32 resource files (*.rc) and other types of source files.  The list of objects to create will be determined by transforming the list of SOURCE files (such as by turning a file called "fud.cpp" into an object called "fud.obj").  More file types will be added as they are needed.

STATIC

     Causes the make to create statically linked targets.  Executables or dynamic libraries will not link in any compiler supplied dynamic libraries, nor will they require them during run-time.

TYPE

     This is a variable that describes the kind of project that is being compiled.  Knowing the type of project is necessary because it controls some elements of the compilation and also of the final promotion of the compiled products.  There are three TYPEs supported so far: Projects of the "library" type will follow the special  rules for their include directory (which is created as a copy of headers in the library directory).  Library projects will also have their final products copied to the lib or dll subdirectories of the build directory being created.  Projects that are "application"s will have their executables copied to the executable directory in the build.  And "test" projects will be promoted to a subdirectory named after the PROJECT that resides under the test hierarchy in the build.

C++ Directory Structure Variables

BASE_OUTPUT_PATH

     This is the parent directory for object files generated for the specified type of CPU and the style of build (e.g. debug or release builds).

CPU_BUILD_DIR

     This variable can be used to distinguish directory names used for output.  It includes the cpu name and the type of build.

DYNAMIC_LIBRARY_DIR

     The directory where dynamic libraries will be stored after creation.

EXECUTABLE_DIR

     The directory where executable files will be stored after creation.

FINAL_DIR

     This is the name of the directory where the finished compilation products are stored, currently only import libraries for dynamic libraries.  It is usually a directory under the OUTPUT_PATH named "final".

HEADER_SEARCH_PATH

     This is a list of directories that will be searched for C++ header files (files ending in ?.h?).

HOOPLE_HEADERS

DEPRECATED      The two standard places to look for headers (the repository and the third party directory) are listed in this variable.

HOOPLE_LIBRARIES

DEPRECATED      This is where our libraries are located.  It is usually a subdirectory called "lib" under the repository directory.

LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATH

     This is a list of directories that will be searched for C++ library archives (files ending in ".a" or ".lib").

LOCAL_HEADERS

     This variable provides a way to include headers prior to the default locations in the search path.  For example, if you are compiling locally and have some headers that are not present in the build you are using, then you can specify where they are in this variable.

LOCAL_LIBRARIES

     This variable allows other library directories to be added prior to the default search locations.  This enables substitute static or import libraries to be used instead of the standard ones present in the build.

STATIC_LIBRARY_DIR

     This is the location where code libraries are to be copied during promotion and where they are to be searched for when listed in LOCAL_LIBS_USED.  Under Unix, these libraries have a ?.a? suffix and are created with the "ar" program.  Under Win32, these libraries have a ?.lib? suffix and are created with "link".

OBJECT_DIR

     This is where object files will be stored during compilation for the target type being produced.

OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_LIST

     This is a list of directories that need to be created under the OUTPUT_PATH.  It contains the "final" directory where all finished products are stored, as well as all the intermediate directories for objects.

OUTPUT_PATH

     This is the temporary file storage area.  Any files that are created during the compilation process will be stored under here in a subdirectory named after the PROJECT.

OUTPUT_ROOT

     This specifies the root portion of the OUTPUT_PATH.  It lets a PC build use drive letters for the root, while a Unix build can specify a directory hierarchy.

SEARCH_DIRS

     This is a list of directories that will be searched for both C++ header files and for C++ code libraries.  The items placed on SEARCH_DIRS will be added to both the LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATH and the HEADER_SEARCH_PATH.  The reasoning behind this variable is lost in antiquity.

TESTS_DIR

     The directory where test programs will be stored after creation.

THIRD_PARTY_DIR

     Third party components are sometimes used in the creation of products.  The directory is expected to have a structure containing "include" and "lib" subdirectories where headers and libraries are stored.

Compiler Dependent Flags

CC

     This is the name of the C++ compiler executable.

COMPILER_HEADER_DIR

     This is where the compiler's header (or include) root directory is located.  It is usually based on the root directory.

COMPILER_LIBRARY_DIR

     This is where the code libraries for the compiler are located.  It is usually based on the root directory.

COMPILER_ROOT_DIR

     This should automatically be set to the appropriate local directory where the C++ compiler is located.

CREATE_LIBRARY_FLAG

     This flag, if required, specifies the text that must precede the name of a library to create.  It is passed to the library creation tool.

DEF_FILE

     This flag only applies to Win32 programs.  It specifies the name of a DEF file for all of the products created in the project.

LIB_PREFIX & LIB_SUFFIX

     The portions of a library's name dictated by the operating system.  For example, on Unix the prefix is "lib" and the suffix is ".a", leading to library names like "libbasis.a" for the basis library.  On win32, the prefix is "" and the suffix is ".lib", leading to library names like "basis.lib".

LIBRARY_NAME_FLAG

     This flag contains the text that specifies a library that will be included in a link.  It is often "-l".

LIBRARY_PATH_FLAG

     This flag provides the text needed to add another library search path.  Multiple occurrences of this flag followed by a directory name are allowed by most compilers.

LIBRARY_TOOL

     This is the name of the program responsible for creating libraries.

LINK_TOOL

     This is the name of the program that links.  This is sometimes the same as the compiler (CC) and sometimes the same as the librarian (LIBRARY_TOOL).

LINKER_OPTION_SEPARATOR

     In some compilers, linker options need to be separated from compiler options that occur on the same command line.  This flag serves that purpose.

LINKER_OUTPUT_FLAG

     This flag is sometimes required by a linker for specifying the name of the library or executable that it is creating.

OBJECT_NAME_FLAG

     This flag is used to specify the name of an object file being created.  It is passed to the compiler to override whatever default name would be used.

Microsoft-Visual C++ Only

USE_MFC

     This flag only applies to Visual C++ and indicates that MFC is to be used in creating this project.  This is usually the case for GUI applications.

VC_ROOT

     This is an override that allows the compiler root directory to be customized without changing the  code.  If VC_ROOT is set (either in a makefile or as an external variable), then it will be used in place of the COMPILER_ROOT_DIR.  The best way to use this override is as an external environment variable; this allows makefiles to remain the same despite your local configuration of the compiler.
     Note that this variable should use forward-slashes, where DOS/Win32 would use backslashes.  Also, if you have installed Visual C++ in a directory path containing space characters, then please use the 8.3 notation for the directories containing the spaces; this allows the name to be passed around successfully.  For example...
If Visual C++ Is Installed In
Then VC_ROOT Should Be
c:\devstudio\vc
c:/devstudio/vc
c:\program files\devstudio\vc
c:/progra~1/devstudio/vc

VCS_ROOT

     Similarly to the VC_ROOT, this variable points at the root of the C# support for Visual Studio.Net.

FRAMEWORK_DIR

     This variable specifies the location of the .Net framework directory.  On MS-Windows XP, the default should be fine.  For MS-Windows 2000 or other Win32 OSes, the windows directory should be "winnt" instead.  If the operating system is configured in a non-default way, the framework directory can be specified in an environment variable.

VCPP_USE_BASE

     Specifies that standard Win32 libraries should be linked in.

VCPP_USE_GUI

     Specifies that the MFC libraries should be linked in.

VCPP_USE_OLE

     Specifies that the COM / OLE libraries should be linked in.

VCPP_USE_RPC

     Specifies that the MS-RPC libraries should be linked in.

VCPP_USE_SOCK

     Specifies that the MS-WinSock libraries should be linked in.

C++ Specific Rules

     These types of targets have one thing in common; if any of the items that a target depends on in SOURCE or LOCAL_LIBS_USED or included files or whatever have changed since the last time the target was created, then it is recompiled.

%.bad

     Causes the make to die.  This is added when an incorrect file type is spotted in a list of targets.

%.dll

     These create dynamically linked libraries from the SOURCE.

%.elf

     Creates elf-formatted binaries for use with a firmware build (a specialized RTOS is the only one currently supported).

%.exe

     This creates an executable program using all of the objects and libraries specified.  It is therefore important in a  makefile to only have executables that depend on the same group of object files.  The hidden agenda in the "exe" type of target is that a file ending in ".cpp" must exist; this is taken as the root of the executable.  It should usually contain the main() function (or its equivalent).

%.lib

     This creates static libraries from the files listed in OBJECTS.

%.nil

     A blank target for test compiles.

%.obj

     These create object files from C++ source files (files ending in .c or .cpp).

%.res

     These create compiled resource files from RC files in the SOURCE list.

C++ Specific Targets

check_requirements

     This target ensures that certain characteristics of the makefile are present.  It complains and aborts the make if they are missing.

post_compilation

     This target finalizes the compilation by running the postconditions script.  If PROMOTE is true, then the final products are copied into the repository.

pre_compilation

     This target executes the preconditions script to set up the compilation's output directories.

rebuild

     This target performs the actions of rebuilding.  This mainly involves touching all of the files in SOURCE before the compilation has really started.

C++ Specific Files

postconditions.sh

     After a compilation has succeeded, the postconditions script performs the final actions required.  The nature of these actions depends on the type of project being made.  For a library project, the script copies the headers to the project's include directory and copies libraries to the appropriate locations.  For application and test program targets, the script copies the final products to the appropriate repository directory.

preconditions.sh

     Before any targets are compiled, the preconditions script ensures that the appropriate output directories exist for the project.  The script also calls the version utilities to update the project's version file and to create any required resource files.

rebuild_oldies.sh

     Used for compilers that support multiple code files in one invocation.  This is launched to compile a batch of sources and catch any errors.

CLAM Example Makefiles

     These examples show some common patterns for how  is used.  The makefiles below are actually used in real software projects.

Library-Only Makefile

This example creates a dynamic library. The dynamic library created here is mechanisms.dll.  The basis library is linked in also.  The file "roller.cpp" will also be copied to the build directory's include path, presumably since it is a template code file.

Library Plus Executable Makefile

This example shows the basis makefile with a couple of test programs also being generated. Note that the executables "t_string.exe" and "t_alloc.exe" require files called "t_string.cpp" and "t_alloc.cpp" to exist.  These files are expected to contain the "main()" or "WinMain()" functions (or the MFC application object).  All of the files in the SOURCE variable will be included in each final executable.

Executable-Only Makefile

This example is produces several test programs that exercise the associated library. The programs "t_alloc.exe" and so on will require C++ files with the same prefix (t_alloc.cpp) to contain the main program (as in the previous example).  The items in the SOURCE list will be included in each executable, and the basis library will be linked in.

CLAM Hints

     This section is devoted to untangling snags that have been encountered in the past.  Hopefully problems you encounter will be discussed here.  Please contribute any new problems found to the library administrator.

Problem:

     A message like: is displayed during a make.

Solution:

     The most frequent reason for receiving a message similar to the above is that there is a file listed in SOURCE that either does not exist or that is capitalized differently from how it is listed.  Check that all the files in SOURCE are in the makefile's directory and that the exact spelling of those files (including their case) is correct.
     Another potential cause of this problem is if a file is included in the SOURCE that  does not recognize.  The standard compilable files are supported (*.cpp, *.c, *.rc), but it is possible that a makefile must handle a non-standard extension (such as *.idl).  Either the user's makefile must supply a rule for processing this type of file or the user must negotiate with the  administrator to get that type of target added to the  support.

Problem:

      Clam is complaining about programs not being found during a build.

Solution:

     The most frequent cause of this problem is a directory not being on your path.  The compilation tools bin (CLAM_BINARIES) directory must be in the PATH variable.
     Problems are occasionally seen when the PATH contains directory names that have spaces in them.  Try using the shorter 8.3 form of the directory name.
     An even more obscure situation sometimes occurs: paths with networked drives seem to somehow hide paths with local drives that are listed later in the PATH variable.  The cause of this is unknown, although it was thought to be caused by NetWare at one point.  To fix the situation, move the local paths before the networked ones.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to April Bly Monnen for the wonderful cover art.

Thanks to Kevin Wika for some early help with makefiles.