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Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/fernandodanielmaqueda/gcc-bison-flex-GNUmakefile/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This guide walks you through the shortest path to a working build: one C source file, one makefile, and the framework. By the end you will have compiled a program into bin/ and run it through Make — with automatic dependency tracking enabled from the start.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following tools are available on your system:
  • GNU Make 3.81 or later — run make --version to check
  • GCC — run gcc --version to check (or set CC to an alternative C compiler)
  • A POSIX shell at /bin/sh — required by the framework’s startup checks
Optional tools (needed only for specific features):
  • Bison — for .y grammar files (bison --version)
  • Flex — for .l scanner files (flex --version)
  • GDB — for make gdb-<program> targets
  • Valgrind — for make valgrind-* targets
On Windows, use MSYS2, Cygwin, or Git Bash to get a POSIX shell and GNU Make. The framework detects OS=Windows_NT and automatically appends .exe to program names.

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Steps

1

Obtain the framework

Clone the repository or download the mkframework/ directory and place it in your project root.
git clone https://github.com/fernandodanielmaqueda/gcc-bison-flex-GNUmakefile.git
cp -r gcc-bison-flex-GNUmakefile/mkframework/ your-project/
After copying, your project layout should look like this:
your-project/
├── mkframework/
│   ├── main.mk
│   ├── header/
│   ├── footer/
│   └── lang/
└── (your files will go here)
You only need the mkframework/ directory. The example GNUmakefile in the repository root is a template you can adapt — you do not need to copy it as-is.
2

Create your GNUmakefile

Create a GNUmakefile in your project root. The structure below is the canonical template derived from the reference implementation:
# Include the framework's main.mk — falls back to mkframework/main.mk if
# MKFWK_MAIN_MAKEFILE is not set from the command line
$(if $(MKFWK_MAIN_MAKEFILE),$(eval include $(MKFWK_MAIN_MAKEFILE)),$(eval include mkframework/main.mk))

# Prevent GNU Make from trying to remake this file
.PHONY: $(MKFWK_LAST_INCLUDING_DIR)GNUmakefile

# --- Declare your program ---

# Short name used as a handle for all per-program variables
program1 := myprogram

# Register the program with the framework
BIN_PROGRAMS += $(program1)

# Arguments passed when running: make run-myprogram
$(program1)_ARGS :=
# Working directory used when running the program (empty = current directory)
$(program1)_CWD  := $(BINDIR)

# Directory to search for source files
$(program1)_SRCDIR := src/
$(call mkfwk_make_check_set_directory_existence,$(program1)_SRCDIR)

# Auto-discover .c, .y, and .l files under SRCDIR
$(program1)_FIND_SOURCES := $(shell $(FIND) \
    $(if $($(program1)_SRCDIR),'$($(program1)_SRCDIR)',.) \
    -type f \( \( -name '*.c' ! -name '*.tab.c' ! -name '*.lex.yy.c' \) \
              -o \( -name '*.y' -o -name '*.l' \) \) -print \
    | $(SED) -e 's?^\./??' ;)
$(program1)_SOURCES := $($(program1)_FIND_SOURCES)
$(program1)_LDADD   := $($(program1)_SOURCES)

# Per-program compiler flags (append to global flags defined in main.mk)
$(program1)_CPPFLAGS =
$(program1)_CFLAGS   =
$(program1)_ASFLAGS  =
$(program1)_LDFLAGS  =

# Header search directory (defaults to SRCDIR)
$(program1)_INCLUDEDIR := $($(program1)_SRCDIR)
$(call mkfwk_make_check_set_directory_existence,$(program1)_INCLUDEDIR)
$(program1)_FIND_-I_FLAGS := \
    $(sort $(shell $(FIND) $(if $($(program1)_SRCDIR),'$($(program1)_INCLUDEDIR)',.) \
        -type f -name '*.h' -print \
        | $(SED) -e 's?^\./??' -e 's?[^/]*$$??' -e 's?/$$??' \
                 -e "s?^?-I'?" -e "s?\$$?'?" -e "s?^-I''\$$?-I'.'?" ;))
$(program1)_CPPFLAGS += $($(program1)_FIND_-I_FLAGS)

# Library search directory
$(program1)_LIBDIR := $($(program1)_SRCDIR)
$(call mkfwk_make_check_set_directory_existence,$(program1)_LIBDIR)
$(program1)_FIND_-L_FLAGS := \
    $(sort $(shell $(FIND) $(if $($(program1)_SRCDIR),'$($(program1)_LIBDIR)',.) \
        -type f \( -name 'lib*.a' -o -name 'lib*.so' \) -print \
        | $(SED) -e 's?^\./??' -e 's?[^/]*$$??' -e 's?/$$??' \
                 -e "s?^?-L'?" -e "s?\$$?'?" -e "s?^-L''\$$?-L'.'?" ;))
$(program1)_LDFLAGS += $($(program1)_FIND_-L_FLAGS)

# --- Required: activate all framework build rules ---
$(eval $(value MKFWK_FOOTER))
The $(eval $(value MKFWK_FOOTER)) line at the end is required. Without it the framework never registers any build targets and make all will report that there is nothing to do.
3

Create your source file

Create the src/ directory and a simple C file:
mkdir src

/* src/hello.c */
#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    printf("Hello, world!\n");
    return 0;
}
The framework discovers hello.c automatically via the $(FIND) call in your makefile — you do not need to list it by name.
4

Build with make all

Run the build from your project root:
make all
The framework will:
  1. Create bin/, obj/, and .deps/ directories
  2. Compile src/hello.c → obj/src/hello.o (with debug info and warnings enabled by default)
  3. Generate obj/src/hello.d for incremental dependency tracking
  4. Link obj/src/hello.o → bin/myprogram (or bin/myprogram.exe on Windows)
Expected output (with VERBOSE=X, which is the default):
#####( [all] ... )#####

mkdir -p 'bin/' 'obj/src/' '.deps/src/'
gcc ... -c -o 'obj/src/hello.o' 'src/hello.c'
gcc ... -o 'bin/myprogram' 'obj/src/hello.o' -lm

#####( Finished )#####
If Make reports make: Nothing to be done for 'all', verify that $(eval $(value MKFWK_FOOTER)) is the last line in your GNUmakefile and that src/hello.c exists.
5

Run the program

Use the built-in run-<program> target to execute the compiled program:
make run-myprogram
The framework changes to the directory specified in $(program1)_CWD (set to $(BINDIR), i.e. bin/) and runs the program from there. Expected output:
Hello, world!
To pass arguments, set myprogram_ARGS in your makefile or override from the command line:
make run-myprogram myprogram_ARGS="--verbose"

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What to do next

Installation

Full system requirements, startup checks, and how to obtain the framework.

Configuration variables

All variables you can set globally or per-program to control the build.

Bison and Flex project

Add grammar and scanner files to your project.

Building targets

All make targets for building, cleaning, and more.

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