Prerequisites and .DEFAULT -- what am I doing wrong?

Ivan Shapovalov <[email protected]> Tue, 07 Nov 2023 22:02:51 +0400

Newsgroups	gmane.comp.gnu.make.general
Message-ID	<[email protected]>

Consider a following Makefile (grossly simplified):

-- 8< --
.PHONY: dist deploy redist symstore-tarball
.DEFAULT dist deploy redist symstore-tarball:
	@echo STARTED: $@
	@sleep 10
	@echo FINISHED: $@

.PHONY: default
default: all
.DEFAULT_GOAL := default
-- 8< --

The stubbed-out recipe in reality invokes another Makefile inside of a
container. This Makefile would be invoked as `make` or `make redist`,
in which case the inner Makefile is invoked as 
`podman run ... make all` or `podman run ... make redist`. Easy enough.

Now, let's say I patch this Makefile to build the container image prior
to executing that recipe:

-- 8< --
.PHONY: build-base-image
build-base-image:
	@echo STARTED: build-base-image
	@sleep 10
	@echo FINISHED: build-base-image

.PHONY: dist deploy redist symstore-tarball
.DEFAULT dist deploy redist symstore-tarball: build-base-image
	@echo STARTED: $@
	@sleep 10
	@echo FINISHED: $@

.PHONY: default
default: all
.DEFAULT_GOAL := default
-- 8< --

However, when I run `make` on this Makefile, the recipe for
`build-base-image` is not run, despite that it is specified as a
prerequisite for the `.DEFAULT` target:
-- 8< --
$ make
STARTED: all
FINISHED: all
-- 8< --

If I specify any explicitly named target (e. g. `make redist`), the
recipe for `build-base-image` is correctly executed prior to the main
recipe.

Why is that so?

(Please Cc: me in replies. I am not subscribed to the list. Thanks.)

-- 
Ivan Shapovalov / intelfx /

signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, 833 B)