Re: gstep-make

[Helge Hess]

Nicola Pero wrote:
> > some more questions. How difficult is it to add custom source-types to 
> > gstep-make ? I have two different cases:
> > a) adding files that translate to ObjC
> > b) adding files which require a new mechanism
> >
> > ---
> > Example for a): [...snip...]
> >
> > BTW: as an interim solution: would this work with gstep-make:
> > ---
> > .m: .xobjc
> >   pre $< $@
> > MyTool_OBJC_FILES = other.m
> > ---
>
> Yes - this is how you are supposed to do for a).

Hm. Well, my question was actually on how to add this to the gstep-make 
framework itself, that is, how I can add a system-wide:

  MyTool_BLAH_FILES = MyFile.blah

that integrates with make system (eg also works for libraries, bundles, 
apps, ...)

Probably I need somewhere in the makefiles something like

currenttool_OBJC_FILES += \
  $(replace $(currenttool_BLAH_FILES),.blah,.m)

But if I remember right, the ..FILES are somehow copied between the 
makefile invocations ?

> It's quite common - another example is if you have Embedded-SQL inside C
> (or ObjC) files - then you need to preprocess the sources using an
> Embedded-SQL preprocessor.

Exactly, this is why it should be easy to add more sourcefile types ?

I would like to avoid that the user (user in terms of makefile-user) has 
to know that the Blah file is actually an ObjC [C,C++,...] file (and 
technically it really isn't - it's a new language).

> %.m: %.xxx
>         {rule running the preprocessor}

OK. At least it is nice to know that this should work :-)

> > Example for b): this is like adding .java. For example I would like to 
> > add Mono support to gstep-make, eg:
> >
> > MyWOApp_CSHARP_FILES = fake.cs
> > Anyway, for a), you definitely don't need to touch anything inside
> > This would compile the .cs to a .NET assembly using Mono and add the 
> > assembly as a resource to the WOApp bundle.
>
> Well if you think it's of enough general interest, we can add support for
> this stuff inside gnustep-make itself ... but I'm frankly not sure.

No, I don't think that the example itself should be added. But I wonder 
how difficult it is to add things like that in general.

Would it be viable to support other "languages" like Java/Mono/... using 
a similiar plugin mechanism like with the project types (just drop in a 
mono.make in Additional with some documented ;-) variables/rules and the 
whole thing can compile mono stuff) ?

> Else, for a hand-made solution, I think you need a rule to generate %.xxx
> (I don't know the extension for Mono .NET assembly) from %.cs. 

.dll or .exe ;-) [really!]

> Anyway, for a), you definitely don't need to touch anything inside
> gnustep-make.  For b), possibly too.

See above, my question is especially on how to extend gstep-make to 
support additional sourcefile types of "class" a) or b).

Writing custom makefiles is no problem, but it would be nice to use the 
gstep-make framework for things like this.

Greetings
  Helge