


In the vast majority of cases, C or C++ files are compiled. Makefiles are used to help decide which parts of a large program need to be recompiled. Good luck, and I hope you are able to slay the confusing world of Makefiles! Getting Started Why do Makefiles exist? If you mostly understand Make, consider checking out the Makefile Cookbook, which has a template for medium sized projects with ample comments about what each part of the Makefile is doing.

Each topic has a brief description and a self contained example that you can run yourself. I've condensed the most critical knowledge into this guide. To solve this, I sat down for several weekends and read everything I could about Makefiles. They seemed awash with hidden rules and esoteric symbols, and asking simple questions didn’t yield simple answers. I built this guide because I could never quite wrap my head around Makefiles.
