Description - Mks.com

specified. When .POSIX is specified, the following steps describe the search algorithm for suffix
rules:
1. Extract the suffix from the target. If that target has no suffix, go to step 6.
2. Is it in the .SUFFIXES list? If not, then quit the search.
3. If it is in the .SUFFIXES list, look for a double suffix rule that matches the target suffix.
4. If you find one, then extract the base name of the file, add on the second suffix and see if
the resulting file exists. If it does not, then keep searching the double suffix rules. If it does
exist, then use the recipe for this rule.
5. If no successful match is made, then the inference has failed.
6. If the target did not have a suffix, then check the single suffix rules in the order that the
suffixes are specified in the .SUFFIXES target.
7. For each single suffix rule, add the suffix to the target name and see if the resulting file
name exists.
8. If the file exists, then execute the recipe associated with that suffix rule. If the file does not
exist, continue trying the rest of the single suffix rules.
9. If no successful match is made, then the inference has failed.
When the .POSIX special target is not specified, make handles suffix rules in the same manner as
traditional implementations of make. The following steps describe the search algorithm for suffix
rules in this situation.
1. Extract the suffix from the target. If that target has no suffix, go to step 8.
2. Is it in the .SUFFIXES list? If not, then quit the search.
3. If it is in the .SUFFIXES list, look for a double suffix rule that matches the target suffix.
4. If you find one, then extract the base name of the file, add on the second suffix and see if
the resulting file exists. If it does, go to step 7. If not, continue with step 5.
5. Is there an inference rule for the resulting file? If yes, execute the recipe associated with that
rule (that should describe how to make the file exist) and go to step 7.
6. Search for the next double suffix rule that matches the target suffix and return to step 4. If
the double suffix rules are exhausted then the inference has failed.
7. Use the recipe for the target rule.
8. If the target did not have a suffix, then check the single suffix rules in the order that the
suffixes are specified in the .SUFFIXES target.
9. For each single suffix rule, add the suffix to the target name and see if the resulting file
name exists.
10. If the file exists, then execute the recipe associated with that suffix rule. If the file does not
exist, continue trying the rest of the single suffix rules.
11. If no successful match is made, then the inference has failed.
MKS Make also provides a special feature in the suffix rule mechanism for archive library handling,
useful mainly for compatibility with System V Make. If you specify a suffix rule of the form
.suf.a:
419 of 457