Re: `Makefile' is removed upon interrupt

[Jim Meyering]

Alexandre Duret-Lutz <address@hidden> wrote:
>>>> "Jim" == Jim Meyering <address@hidden> writes:
> [...]
>
>  Jim> One way to fix it is to tell GNU make that `Makefile' should not
>  Jim> be removed in such a case, e.g. by adding a line like this:
>
>  Jim> .PRECIOUS: Makefile
>
> Sounds sensible.  Are there any other files that deserve similar
> treatment?

I don't think so.
Makefile is special in that if it is removed, there
can be no `make' rule to recreate it (unless we presume
everyone has a GNUmakefile with the proper rule).

>  Jim> Of course, then we'd also have to ensure that
>  Jim> config.status creates Makefile atomically (redirect to a
>  Jim> temp. file and rename when done writing).

It does this, now.

>  Jim> If you like that, I'll propose a patch.

Here's the proposed patch:

2003-11-17  Jim Meyering  <address@hidden>

        * lib/am/configure.am: Mark %MAKEFILE% as `.PRECIOUS'.

Index: lib/am/configure.am
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/automake/automake/lib/am/configure.am,v
retrieving revision 1.26
diff -u -p -r1.26 configure.am
--- lib/am/configure.am 27 Oct 2003 07:52:00 -0000      1.26
+++ lib/am/configure.am 17 Nov 2003 08:19:29 -0000
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ endif %?TOPDIR_P%
        cd $(top_srcdir) && \
          $(AUTOMAKE) --%STRICTNESS% %USE-DEPS% %MAKEFILE-AM-SOURCES%
 
+## Ensure that GNU make doesn't remove Makefile if ./config.status (below)
+## is interrupted.  Otherwise, the user would need to know to rerun
+## ./config.status to recreate the lost Makefile.
+.PRECIOUS: %MAKEFILE%
 ## This rule remakes the Makefile.
 %MAKEFILE%: %MAINTAINER-MODE% %MAKEFILE-DEPS% $(top_builddir)/config.status
 ## If Makefile is to be updated because of config.status, then run