Re: Diagramming a makefile?

[Tim Murphy]

You can use the --print-database format to write out makes idea of the
targets and dependencies in the build.  The output from this is quite
easy to parse using a language like python.  This will take care of
all the issues with $(eval) etc.

You can make your  script translate this information into "DOT"
notation and then you can load it into a graph display tool like
GEPHI.

https://gephi.org/

Gephi can handle graphs of the size you might get from e.g. an Android build.

You will then see a huge forest of dependencies, unless your build is
very small.   You will wonder what use the graph is because it will
look like a pile of cut grass - with thousands of lines going all over
the place.

I think there are useful lessons to learn but not the ones that might
appear to be obvious.

Regards,

Tim



On 14 April 2014 06:44, Rakesh Sharma <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hello GNU makers,
>
> Is there any tool/utility which can diagram the DAG of the rules/targets by 
> going thru the makefile? And I don't mean this in a generic way, that all 
> sorts of complex $(eval-ed) rules
> need to be diagrammed.
>
> What I feel is that if we have a picture of the DAG of a makefile, then we 
> can better understand the behavior of make.  And vice versa too, we can start 
> off writing a makefile by drawing the DAG first & then convert that into a 
> makefile (the rules portion).
>
> Considering that make is nearing 4 decades, it's hard to believe that such 
> utilities are not already available.
>
> Thanks,
> Rakesh
>
>
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> https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-make



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