Target for make gives "nothing to be done" - linux

Question

I have an issue with "make" (Oh, the horror!).
We're trying to migrate some COBOL code from Windows to Linux. The compiler and such are from Micro Focus. Under Windows the code is developed with Micro Focus Net Express. Linux has Micro Focus Server Express as the equivalent. The programs are compiled and linked using "make" scripts.
So much for the background.
The problem is a "make" script that doesn't want to compile and link an executable under Linux. The targets look like this:
# HP INIT-Daten laden
#
datLoad$O: \
$(UI)/defretrn.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy00s.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy005.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy006.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy010.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy013.cpy \
$(UI)/e12sy050.cpy \
$(UI)/e12db001.cpy \
$(UI)/e12db050.cpy \
$(UI)/evlg.cpy \
$(UI)/deffehl.cpy \
datLoad.xcbl $(FRC)
# #echo "dollar-O is \"$O\" in $#"
datLoad$X: $(LIBDSQL) datLoad$O \
$(LP)/evlg$O $(LP)/alock$O
$(LCOB) -o $(#:$X=) -e $(#:$X=) $(LCOBFLAGS) \
-d e12db001 -d e12db003 -d e12db012 \
-d e12sy005 -d e12sy006 -d e12sy009 \
-d e12sy010 -d e12sy012 -d e12sy013 \
-d e12sy050 \
-I EvLgSetCategory $(LP)/evlg$O \
-I ALckSetDebug $(LP)/alock$O \
$(LIBEXEEXT) "$(LIBXSQL)"
if [ -f $B/$# -a ! -w $B/$# ] ; then rm -f $B/$# ; fi
cp $# $B
To put this into context, $0=".o" (i.e. an object file extension). $(LCOB) is the link command. $X=".exe" (an executable ... just forget about the extension, we'll fix that in due course). All the other stuff relates to paths ==> not relevant to the issue at hand and, yes, they've all been checked and verified.
Ultimately, I am trying to get "make" to resolve a target called "datLoad.o".
Included is a second "make" script containing the following:
COBFLAGS = -cx # create object file
GNTFLAGS = -ug # create .gnt file
SOFLAGS = -z # create
LCOB = cob
...
.cbl$O:
$(CCOB) $(COBFLAGS) $*.cbl, $*$O, NUL, NUL
if [ -f $(LP)/$*$O -a ! -w $(LP)/$*$O ] ; then rm -f $(LP)/$*$O ; fi
cp $*$O $(LP)
The relevant part is the target which resolves to ".cbl.o:". Yes, that's the shorthand version and I don't really like it but I did not write this script. I'm assured that it really means *.o:*.cbl and other similar constructs in the script do work correctly.
With a simple "make" I get a link error:
> In function `cbi_entry_point': (.data+0x384): undefined reference to
> `datLoad' /tmp/cobwZipkt/%cob0.o: In function `main': (.text+0x28):
> undefined reference to `datLoad' make: *** [datLoad.exe] Error 1
That means datLoad.o was not created. If I do create it explicitly with:
cob -cx datload
Then "make" still gives the same error as above. Weird! However, what I really cannot understand is the response I get from "make datLoad.o" when the target does not exist:
make: Nothing to be done for `datLoad.o'.
I assumed (heaven help me) that the target "datLoad.o" would try to create the required target file if that file does not already exist. Am I going mad?
Sorry if this seems a bit obscure, I'm not sure how to phrase it better. If anybody has an idea what might be going on, I'd be really grateful...

Answer 1

Thank you Mad Scientist. Your tip was correct.
The included .mk contained a .SUFFIXES rule. The problem was that the $O was not being used consistently. $O was originally set to ".obj" for Windows. Under Linux it's ".o". However, the .SUFFIXES rule had the ".obj" hard coded into it, so of course the ".o" targets were not being recognised. I replaced the hard coded suffix with the $O variable and it now works.
Achim