[SOLVED] How to make a failing $(shell) command interrupt Make

Issue

I have a Makefile that starts by running a tool before applying the build rules (which this tool writes for me). If this tool, which is a python script, exits with a non-null status code, I want GNU Make to stop right there and not go on with building the program.

Currently, I do something like this (top level, i.e. column 1):

$(info Generating build rules...)
$(shell python collect_sources.py)
include BuildRules.mk

But this does not stop make if collect_sources.py exits with a status code of 1. This also captures the standard output of collect_sources.py but does not print it out, so I have the feeling I'm looking in the wrong direction.

If at all possible, the solution should even work when a simple MS-DOS shell is the standard system shell.

Any suggestion?

Solution

Ok, here's my own solution, which is unfortunately not based on the status code of the collect_sources.py script, but which Works For Me (TM) and lets me see any output that the script produces:

SHELL_OUTPUT := $(shell python collect_sources.py 2>&1)
ifeq ($(filter error: [Errno %],$(SHELL_OUTPUT)),)
  $(info $(SHELL_OUTPUT))
else
  $(error $(SHELL_OUTPUT))
endif

The script is written so that any error produces an output beginning with "collect_sources: error:". Additionally, if python cannot find or execute the given script, it outputs an error message containing the message "[Errno 2]" or similar. So this little piece of code just captures the output (redirecting stderr to stdout) and searches for error messages. If none is found, it simply uses $(info) to print the output, otherwise it uses $(error), which effectively makes Make stop.

Note that the indentation in the ifeq ... endif is done with spaces. If tabs are used, Make thinks you're trying to invoke a command and complains about it.

Answered By - Carl Seleborg

Answer Checked By - Robin (WPSolving Admin)