Run multiple build targets from multiple files

[lukebeddow]

Hi,

I have been using the vscode makefile extension on linux with great results, however I would like to request a feature.

I have a main file called Makefile which builds my targets, for example "all debug clean"

I also have a file called buildsettings.mk which is another makefile which is included in the primary makefile, which offers additional targets, for example "pc laptop".

I would like to set the default make configuration in the side panel to: make all laptop

There are two current issues with this:

• I cannot see how to set multiple targets
• The targets from the included makefile (buildsettings.mk) do not appear in the drop down suggestions

I would suggest both of these issues could be fixed with a new option in the dropdown box called "custom" which the user can enter any text of their choice which will be run on the command line, for example "all laptop" for my case.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give me with this issue.

[andreeis]

@lukebeddow, thank you for your feedback.

Setting multiple targets (like having checkboxes with all the identified targets to click - more than one - ) is a feature that we plan for the future and we track it with #128.
Additionally, this will help: #27.

You can use a workaround even now: I don't know if you defined already a custom makefile configuration via "makefile.configurations" array setting. If you did, just add "all", "laptop" to "makeArgs", at the beginning or end of your other args. If you didn't, here's an example:
"makefile.configurations": [
{
"name": "MyConfig",
"makeArgs": ["all", "laptop"]
}
]
Then, in the left UI Panel for the extension (find the "C/C++" icon) select "MyConfig" for the "Configuration" UI element.
This will result in always passing "all" and "laptop" to "make", even if as is the extension won't know that those are targets, it sees them as just arguments. It will accomplish your goals regardless of what you chose in the "Build target" UI element (which is below "Configuration").

About your second bullet, we are parsing targets by reading the output of "make -pRrq". It's a way to convince "make" to include more details about the targets it parses. I didn't look closely at how this works with files that are imported in a main makefile. If "make" itself doesn't report them, there is not much we can do (unless there are other switches that we didn't discover that we can use). I hope that we have a parsing bug, that the targets are there but we don't see them because there is something special in your targets definition. Can you run "make -pRrq" or "make --print-data-base --no-builtin-variables --no-builtin-rules --question" and share with us the output?

Otherwise, if you are happy with the extension and would be willing to post a review, it helps us continue to develop this extension. Thanks!