Bruno Haible [2024-07-26 16:27 +0200] wrote: > Basil L. Contovounesios wrote: >> The commentary in build-aux/git-version-gen illustrates how the files >> .version and .tarball-version could be generated: >> >> $(top_srcdir)/.version: >> echo '$(VERSION)' > $@-t >> mv $@-t $@ >> ... >> I'm curious why one recipe writes a temporary file first
[...] > The real reason is that if the disk is full, the rule would leave an > empty file on the disk and fail, and even after the user makes room > on the disk and runs "make" a second time, the empty file would persist > and cause trouble. > >> dist-hook: >> echo '$(VERSION)' > $(distdir)/.tarball-version >> >> whereas the other writes the target directly. > > Here it does so because the file is inside a temporary directory. If > the "make dist" rule fails, the user has to remove the temporary directory > entirely anyway, and that will also take care of the empty file. [ Sorry for the noise in reviving this old thread, but I just realised I forgot to clarify at the time: ] Does this imply that writing to a temporary file first is never needed under distdir? I'm thinking of the examples in (info "(gnulib) gitlog-to-changelog") for instance, which generate $(distdir)/ChangeLog in two steps. Thanks, -- Basil
