Looking for Files in Different Directories

 Last reviewed: January 24, 1995
Article ID: Q60867
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft NMAKE Utility for MS-DOS, versions 1.01, 1.1, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4
  • Microsoft NMAKE Utility for OS/2, versions 1.01, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, and 1.21
  • Microsoft NMAKE Utility for Windows NT, versions 1.4 and 1.5

SUMMARY

If you use the "directory search" feature in NMAKE by specifying the name of the directory in curly braces ({}), subsequent dependency rules cannot infer the location of the specified files.

MORE INFORMATION

The following makefile example demonstrates this confusion. 

   test.exe: {c:\obj}test.obj
      link c:\obj\test.obj graphics.lib;

   test.obj: test.c test.h
      cl /c /Foc:\obj\test.obj test.c
If TEXT.EXE were up to date with C:\OBJ\TEST.OBJ but TEST.C or TEST.H was not up to date with TEST.OBJ, NMAKE would not build any files because C:\OBJ\TEST.OBJ does not have any dependencies. The TEST.OBJ dependency line refers only to the current directory. To work around this situation, modify the code to include the following line: 

   c:\obj\test.obj: test.c test.h
Then, if TEST.C or TEST.H changed, NMAKE would update C:\OBJ\TEST.OBJ and TEST.EXE.

Additional reference words: kbinf kbinf 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50
KBCategory: kbtool
KBSubcategory: NmakeIss

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Last reviewed: January 24, 1995
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