Makefileam

Makefileam is a build-system concept designed to automate the generation of Makefiles from a declarative description. It provides a focused alternative to manually authored Makefiles by allowing developers to specify targets, dependencies, and build rules in a high-level file called Makefileam. The generated Makefile is then used by the standard make utility to perform compilation, linking, and installation tasks.

The Makefileam language emphasizes portability and simplicity. Descriptions express modules, subdirectories, and library dependencies, while allowing configuration of compiler options, preprocessor definitions, and platform-specific flags through conditional blocks. The system supports common features such as automatic dependency generation, pattern rules, phony targets, and the handling of out-of-tree builds. It also offers templates and inheritance mechanisms to reuse build logic across projects.

Usage typically involves writing a Makefileam file at the project root, optionally organizing components into subdirectories, and invoking a generator command (for example, makefileam generate) to produce a Makefile. Developers then run make as usual. Advanced usage may integrate with version control, packaging, and test suites, providing hooks for install, dist, and test targets.

Makefileam is often discussed alongside Automake, CMake, and Meson as a declarative approach to build configuration. In practice, adoption depends on tooling maturity, ecosystem support, and the project’s portability requirements. Limitations include potential learning curve and differences from hand-tuned Makefiles.