Suffixmake

Suffixmake is a lightweight build-time tool and domain-specific language for managing suffix-based transformations in file processing pipelines. It lets users define rules that map file suffixes to processing commands, enabling consistent handling across projects.

It emerged as an alternative to pattern-based Makefile rules, focusing on suffix-driven workflows such as compiling, converting documents, or packaging resources by their suffix. It aims to be language- and platform-agnostic.

Core concepts are suffix definitions, rule precedence, and a transformation graph. Users declare handlers for suffixes, specifying the command or pipeline to apply when a file ends with that suffix. When inputs have multiple suffixes, the most specific rule applies, allowing formats like .tar.gz to be processed correctly.

A typical configuration uses a manifest file, such as a SuffixMakefile, listing rules with a suffix and an action. Example: a .md suffix maps to a Markdown converter to produce HTML. Suffixmake supports chaining rules, incremental builds, and simple dependency tracking.

In practice, suffixmake complements traditional build systems by handling specialized content transformations not easily expressed in compilers. It can integrate with existing Make, CMake, or SCons workflows via wrappers or custom commands.

Limitations include a smaller ecosystem, potential ambiguity in complex suffix trees, and the need to ensure cross-platform command availability. Adoption is typically in projects with asset or text processing pipelines.

See also: Make, CMake, SCons, Build automation, File suffix rules.