Control: tags -1 - moreinfo On Mon, 2023-01-02 at 22:51 +0100, Axel Beckert wrote: > Control: tag -1 + moreinfo > > Hi John, > > > This package uses Debhelper. What I think causes the false positive is > > that, instead of using a pattern rule like > > %: > > dh $@ > > > > I use the .DEFAULT special target and also call mkdir prior, like: > > .DEFAULT: > > mkdir -p $(unpacked_dir) > > dh $@ -D$(unpacked_dir) -Bbuild > > > > The .DEFAULT special target, unlike pattern rules, is specified by POSIX, > > and as Lintian indicates this is an error, I'd very much appreciate if this > > could be fixed. > > Do I understand it right that ".DEFAULT:" is equivalent to "%:"?
When it is used in this particular way with the dh sequencer, my understanding is "yes." The definition of the .DEFAULT special rule in POSIX at https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/utilities/make.html#tag_20_76_13_04 is what intuition would suggest: it's a rule that gets run when no other rules would apply. The GNU make syntax using the percent symbol is intended to be a more versatile and easy to read replacement for POSIX's suffix rules. The GNU make documentation at /usr/share/doc/make-doc/make.html/Implicit-Rules.html#Last-Resort or https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Last-Resort.html strongly suggests that the "%: <nothing>" syntax is equivalent to the ".DEFAULT: <nothing>" syntax, and this is my experience. This is a GNU extension though, so it's not in any formal specification. This is why I admire the .DEFAULT syntax: it is both more portable and easier to understand. You need not agree with my stylistic opinions, but the case for this syntax choice has enough merit at least that Lintian should be able to cope. -- 🌐 Homepage https://johnscott.me 🪪 Contact info • as a vCard: https://johnscott.me/me/me.vcf • as an LDAP directory entry: ldap://johnscott.me/CN=John%20Scott,DC=johnscott,DC=me
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