Question

Hi after a previous problem with not having makedepend installed (now solved), I now have the following error when trying to run my makefile:

$ make
makedepend --  -- -I /usr/include/linux -I include 
cp  executables
cp: missing destination file operand after `executables'
Try `cp --help' for more information.
make: *** [executables] Error 1

and here is my makefile:

CMDLINE_SRC=$(wildcard commandLine/*.c)
CMDLINE_OBJS = $(CMDLINE_SRC:.c=.o)
EXECUTABLES = $(CMDLINE_SRC:.c=)

LIB_SRC=$(wildcard c/*.c)
LIB_OBJ = $(LIB_SRC:.c=.o)
LIB_OUT = lib/libclinrisk.a

INCLUDES = -I include

# compiler
CC = gcc
CCFLAGS = 
LDFLAGS = 

# library paths
LIBS = -Llib -lclinrisk -lm

.SUFFIXES: .c

default: dep executables

executables: $(EXECUTABLES)
    cp $(EXECUTABLES) executables

$(EXECUTABLES): $(LIB_OUT)

.c:
    $(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(LDFLAGS) $< -o $@ $(LIBS)

.c.o:
    $(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(CCFLAGS) -c $< -o $@

$(LIB_OUT): $(LIB_OBJ)
    ar rcs $(LIB_OUT) $(LIB_OBJ)

depend: dep

dep:
    makedepend -- $(CFLAGS) -- -I /usr/include/linux $(INCLUDES) $(LIB_SRC)

clean:
    rm -f $(LIB_OBJ) $(LIB_OUT) Makefile.bak
    rm -f $(CMDLINE_OBJ) $(CMDLINE_PROGS) 
    rm -f executables/*

what is the problem here? I am new to makefiles! will try figure this out in the meantime.

The problem looks like it’s to do with:

cp $(EXECUTABLES) executables

however I’m unaware of a correct pathway to executables…

Thanks.

Answer 1

Nothing in your Makefile code sets the EXECUTABLES variable, so it substitutes to an empty string, which calls cp with just a single argument, thus generating the error.