Back to the main menuAlways name a makefile as makefile.
A makefile is like a batch file or a short program. But it has a lot more intelligence built in. The main reason to use makefiles is to let the computer do repetitive tasks instead of the user.
Very often you may have about 15 different files which contain subroutines called by a main program. If you edit one of these files, you have to recompile only the file edited. Most of the time you may not be sure which files need to be recompiled. The makefile does all that for you. It also saves you from typing long commands for linking 50 files together!
To run a makefile, type
% make
or to run a specific target
% make targetname
For more information on targets, click here.