# remake

**Repository Path**: mirrors_devzero2000/remake

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: remake
- **Description**: Enhanced GNU Make - tracing, error reporting, debugging, profiling and more
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: GPL-3.0
- **Default Branch**: remake-4-2
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-09-24
- **Last Updated**: 2026-05-17

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/rocky/remake.svg?branch=remake-4-2)](https://travis-ci.org/rocky/remake)

[![Packaging status](https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/remake.svg)](https://repology.org/project/remake/versions)

Patched GNU Make 4.2.1 sources to add improved error reporting, tracing,
target listing, graph visualization, and profiling. It also
contains debugger. See branches remake-4-1 and remake-3-82 for patched GNU Make
4.1 and 3.82 respectively

Tracing and Debugging
---------------------

Although there's a full debugger here, most of the time I can get by
using no options since normal output is a little more verbose and detailed.
When that isn't enough, I use the *--trace* or *-x* option, e.g:

```console
$ remake -x # ... add other make options
```


But if you want the full debugger, use *--debugger* or *-X*:

```
$ remake -X # ... add other make options
```

If you want to get into the debugger only after an error is encountered use *--post-mortem*:

```console
$ remake --post-mortem # ... add other make options
```


To enter the debugger from inside a Makefile, use the built-in function *$(debugger)*. For example here is a Makefile:

```makefile
    all:
    	$(debugger 'arg not used')
		echo Nothing here, move along
````

When GNU Make is inside the *all* target, it will make a call to the
debugger. The string after *debugger* is not used, but seems to be
needed to get parsing right.

Getting Makefile Information
----------------------------

If there is project that you want a list of "interesting" Makefile
targets, try:

```console
$ remake --tasks
```

If the project has commented its Makefile using remake-friendly comments you may get output like this:

```
ChangeLog	# create ChangeLog fom git log via git2cl
build	# Do what it takes to build software locally
check	# Run all tests
clean	# Remove OS- and platform-specific derived files.
dist	# Create source and binary distribution
distclean	# Remove all derived files. Like "clean" on steroids.
install	# Install package
test	# Same as check
```

To get a list of *all* targets, interesting or not, use *--targets*
instead of *--tasks*.

To build from a tarball:

```console
$ ./configure && make && make check && sudo make install
```

To build from git, run first:

```console
$ $SHELL ./autogen.sh
```

Profiling and Visualization
----------------------------

To profile and get a graph of targets encountered use the `--profile`
option. For example:

```console
$ remake --profile # target...
```

*remake* outputs [callgrind profile format](http://valgrind.org/docs/manual/cl-format.html) data which can be used with [kcachegrind](http://kcachegrind.sourceforge.net/html/Home.html) or [other](https://github.com/icefox/callgrind_tools) [tools](https://github.com/zenkj/callgrind2dot) that work with this format.

See also
--------

See also https://github.com/rocky/remake/wiki where there are a couple of demos listed and
https://github.com/rocky/remake/blob/master/profile/README.md for infomation on how to profile a "make" run.