[bug #16372] .DELETE_ON_ERROR does not delete directories

[anonymous]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=16372>

                 Summary: .DELETE_ON_ERROR does not delete directories
                 Project: make
            Submitted by: None
            Submitted on: Tuesday 04/18/06 at 18:44 UTC
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: Bug
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
       Component Version: 3.81
        Operating System: Any
           Fixed Release: None

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Details:

As can be easily found out, either by a simple experiment or by reading the
code in commands.c/delete_target, make does not even try to delete failed
targets declared as prerequisites to .DELETE_ON_ERROR if they are not regular
files. 

If this is desired behavior, the manual does not mention it. I argue that it
is not desired. An application I am working on builds directories as target,
and, for the reasons mentioned in the manual, leaving them hanging around
after a failed build is confusing for the human, and produces wrong results
for the program.

The problem has been reported on the bug-make list as
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-make/2003-01/msg00014.html (receiving
no replies).

Bengt Martensson <address@hidden>






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