Creating Inference Rules for Nonstandard File Extensions

• Microsoft NMAKE for MS-DOS, versions 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.2, and 1.3
• Microsoft NMAKE for OS/2, versions 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 NMAKE to create an Inference Rule for a file with a nonstandard file extension (for example, an extension other than .ASM, .BAS, .C, and so forth), you must specify the extension in the .SUFFIXES list in the makefile.

MORE INFORMATION

It is sometimes necessary or desirable to compile a source file that has a nonstandard file extension. For example, you may want to store a Microsoft QuickBasic source-code file as TEST.SRC rather than the standard TEST.BAS. To compile this file with NMAKE, you must create a new inference rule for that extension. The text below is an example of an inference rule to compile a QuickBasic file with the extension .SRC that is out-of-date with respect to its target object (.OBJ) file:

   .src.obj:
      @echo Compiling Source File
      bc $<;

   .SUFFIXES: .src

.SUFFIXES: .src

.src.obj:

   @echo Compiling Source File
   bc $<;