# common-mk

**Repository Path**: mirrors_chromium_googlesource/common-mk

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: common-mk
- **Description**: No description available
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: BSD-3-Clause
- **Default Branch**: main
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2021-03-19
- **Last Updated**: 2025-08-23

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

common.mk: A common makefile helper for building daemons in Chromium OS

= Overview

common.mk is a centralized makefile providing a large number of features
that ease regular development:
- known good linker and compiler flags
- target helpers for statically and dynamically linked binaries
- target helpers for statically and dynamically linked libraries
- target helper for running unittests under valgrind and qemu (when needed)
- separation of build artifacts and source code

In addition, common.mkl systems are fully parallelizable for all targets
avoiding truncated file issues while still utilizing bigsmp systems as
completely as possible.

= Usage

A new project should create a top-level Makefile and after the
boilerplate, include common.mk.  After doing so, they may define their
targets as usual.  If there are subdirectories, they will be pulled in
automatically if they contain a 'module.mk' file.  This file will be
just like the top-level Makefile except that all targets and
dependencies should be referred to by their relative path to the
top-level src. E.g., lib/foo.o instead of just foo.o.

The Makefile may be called from the source directory with just "make"
or from any other location with "make -C /path/to/source".  If the build
artifacts should live somewhere other than $PWD/build-$MODE, then
it may be called with "make -C /path/to/source OUT=$PWD", for instance.
In addition to OUT and MODE, there are several commandline variables
which may be set. See the comment in common.mk for full explanation and
defaults.

example/ contains a fully working example of a make hierarchy that
explores all the different ways common.mk can be used.


= Open issues

- Defaulting to -fvisibility=internal
- Test and examplem

= Recipes

This section is a brief recipe book to some common activities, but you should
consult the common.mk file for detailed information. In these recipes replace
<text> with the appropriate text for your situation. These recipes assume that
you have organized your Makefile along the lines of the other recipes, i.e. the
add flag recipe assumes your targets follow the add target recipes. The Makefile
in power_manager is a good place to look for examples, since most these recipes
were pulled from there.

For libraries these recipes assume that you want to build the PIE versions of
libraries. You have the option of building PIC versions by replacing where
'.pie.' is used with '.pic.'. One of these must be present, since common.mk is
looking to parse these out and there isn't a default behaviour.

Adding a flag to a target:
  Add flag to "<target>_FLAGS =" line.
  or
  Add a line "<target>_FLAGS += flag".

Adding a library to a target:
  Add -l<library> to "<target>_LIBS =" line.
  or
  Add a line "<target>_LIBS += -l<library>".

Adding a complex dependency, like gtk, when <target>_DEPS exists:
  Add proper pkg_config name of the dependency to the "<target>_DEPS =" line.

Adding a complex dependency, like gtk, when <target>_DEPS does not exist:
  Add a "<target>_DEPS =" line before the related FLAGS and LIBS lines, with
  the proper pkg_config name of your dependency.
  Change "<target>_FLAGS =" to "<target>_FLAGS :=" and add
  "$(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --cflags $(<target>_DEPS))" to the line.
  Change "<target>_LIBS =" to "<target>_LIBS :=" and add
  "$(shell $(PKG_CONFIG) --libs $(<target>_DEPS))" to the line.

Add a new source file, with name <filename>.cc to a existing target:
 Add <filename>.o to <target>_OBJS.
 Follow the instructions above for adding a new flags, libs and deps
  related to the file.

Add a new library target dependency to binary target:
  Add CXX_STATIC_LIBRARY(lib<library>.pie.a) to the dependencies of
  CXX_BINARY(<binary>).

Add a new binary target:
  When creating the DEPS, FLAGS, and LIBS lines try to reuse existing
  definitions that make sense instead of declaring everything anew.
  If needed, add "<target>_DEPS =" line with dependency list
  Add "<target>_FLAGS =" line with flags list.
  Add "<target>_LIBS =" line with library list.
  Add "<target>_OBJS =" line with object list. The object list is composed of
  the .cc source files that are needed for the target, with .o replacing the
  .cc.
  Add "CXX_BINARY(<target>): $(<target>_OBJS) ... line. This line should have
  any library dependencies that are built in this file included on it. How to
  do this is discussed above.
  Add remaining boilerplate:
    CXX_BINARY(<target>): CPPFLAGS += $(<target>_FLAGS)
    CXX_BINARY(<target>): LDLIBS += $(<target>_LIBS)
    clean: CLEAN(<target>)
    all: CXX_BINARY(<target>)

Add a new unit test target:
It is assumed there is a <parent> binary or library target that defines the
environment.
  Add "<target>_FLAGS =" line with $(<parent>_FLAGS) and any other needed
  flags.
  Add "<target>_LIBS =" line with $(<parent>_LIBS) -lgtest -lgmock and other
   needed libs.
  Add "<target>_OBJS> =" line with the objects for the unit tests"
  Add "CXX_BINARY(<target>): $(<target>_OBJS) ... line. This line should have
  any library dependencies that are built in this file included on it. How to
  do this is discussed above.
  Add remaining boilerplate:
    CXX_BINARY(<target>): CPPFLAGS += $(<target>_FLAGS)
    CXX_BINARY(<target>): LDLIBS += $(<target>_LIBS)
    clean: CLEAN(<target>)
    tests: TEST(CXX_BINARY(<target>))

Add a new library target:
  When creating the DEPS, FLAGS, and LIBS lines try to reuse existing
  definitions that make sense instead of declaring everything anew.
  If needed, add "<target>_DEPS =" line with dependency list
  Add "<target>_FLAGS =" line with flags list.
  Add "<target>_LIBS =" line with library list.
  Add "<target>_OBJS =" line with object list. The object list is composed of
  the .cc source files that are needed for the target, with .o replacing the
  .cc.
  Add "CXX_STATIC_LIBRARY(lib<target>.pie.a): $(<target>_OBJS) ... line.
  Add remaining boilerplate:
    CXX_STATIC_LIBRARY(<target>): CPPFLAGS += $(<target>_FLAGS)
    CXX_STATIC_LIBRARY(<target>): LDLIBS += $(<target>_LIBS)
    clean: CLEAN(<target>)

Add a protocol buffer when there are already protocol buffers used from the same
package/location as yours:
  Add <protobuf>.pb.cc "<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS =" line.
  or
  Add a line "<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS += <protobuf>.pb.cc".
  For every .o that depends on <protobuf>.pb.cc existing:
    <target>.o.depends: <protobuf>.pb.cc
  For every .o that depends on <protobuf>.pb.h existing:
    <target>.o.depends: <protobuf>.pb.h

Add a protobuffer that is in a new package:
  Use the following template
    <package>_PROTO_BINDINGS =
    <package>_PROTO_PATH = $(SYSROOT)/<installed location of .proto files>
    <package>_PROTO_HEADERS = $(patsubst %.cc,%.h,$(<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS))
    <package>_PROTO_OBJS = $(patsubst %.cc,%.o,$(<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS))
    $(<package>_PROTO_HEADERS): %.h: %.cc ;
    $(<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS): %.pb.cc: $(<package>_PROTO_PATH)/%.proto
        $(PROTOC) --proto_path=$(<package>_PROTO_PATH) --cpp_out=. $<
    clean: CLEAN($(<package>_PROTO_BINDINGS))
    clean: CLEAN($(<package>_PROTO_HEADERS))
    clean: CLEAN($(<package>_PROTO_OBJS))
    # Add rules for compiling generated protobuffer code, as the CXX_OBJECTS list
    # is built before these source files exists and, as such, does not contain them.
    $(eval $(call add_object_rules,$(<package>_PROTO_OBJS),CXX,cc))
  Use the above recipe to add in your protobufs

NOTE:
If you have added in protocol buffer definitions directly to the package you are
working in, go undo that and figure out where they should actually go. If you
are really sure they should be in your package you are a bit on your own, but
feel free to contact me at rharrison@chromium.org.