imake Command in Linux

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The imake command in Linux is a C preprocessor for the make command. It generates Makefiles by processing an Imakefile with predefined macros and templates, separating platform-specific settings from core build instructions. It also ensures that Makefiles can be adapted to different environments without modifying the main build logic. This was especially useful for older Unix-based systems where configuration could vary.

Table of Contents

Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the imake command −

• Installation of imake Command
• Syntax of imake Command
• imake Command Options
• Example of imake Command in Linux

Installation of imake Command

In some Linux distributions imake comes as a part of the xutils-dev package, while in many it comes as an independent utility.

To install imake on Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Raspberry Pi OS, Debian, and Debian-based distributions, use the command given below −

sudo apt install xutils-dev

To install it on Arch Linux, use −

sudo pacman -S imake

To install it on CentOS, use the following command −

sudo yum install imake

To install imake on Fedora, use the command given below −

sudo dnf install imake

To verify the installation, check the binary of imake, using the following command −

which imake

Syntax of imake Command

The syntax of the imake command is as follows −

imake [options]

The [options] field is used to specify the options listed in the following section.

imake Command Options

The options of the imake command are listed below −

Example of imake Command in Linux

This section demonstrates the usage of the imake command in Linux −

To use the imake command, three files must be created, an Imakefile, Imake.tmpl, and a C program file in a project directory. These three components generate customized Makefiles that ensure a consistent build process across various systems. The Imakefile handles the project-specific build rules, the Imake.tmpl provides a flexible template that can adapt to different systems.

The step-by-step instructions are given below −

First, create a directory −

sudo mkdir my_project

Next, create a simple C program −

sudo nano project.c

For this example, the project.c file contains a simple hello word C program.

Create a Imakefile using the following command −

sudo nano Imakefile

Add the following line to it −

MyApp: project.o
	$(CC) $(CDEBUGFLAGS) -o MyApp project.o

project.o: project.c
	$(CC) $(CDEBUGFLAGS) -c project.c

DependTarget()
InstallProgram(MyApp, $(BINDIR))

In the above file, the MyApp: project.o defines the target MyApp which depends on the object file project.o. the project.o: project.c specifies how to compile the project.c source file into an object file project.o.

The $(CC) is a macro referring to the C compiler, and $(CDEBUGFLAGS) is a variable. InstallProgram tells imake to install the resulting program into the specified directory ($(BINDIR)). The $(CDEBUGFLAGS) variable and ($(BINDIR)) are set in the template file.

Finally, create a template file with the name Imake.tmpl.

sudo nano Imake.tmpl

Now, add the following lines in it −

BINDIR = /usr/local/bin

CDEBUGFLAGS = -g

The CDEBUGFLAGS = -g specifies that the program should be compiled with debugging information. The BINDIR = /usr/local/bin sets the installation directory for the compiled program. The instructions can vary from project to project.

Now, the project structure looks like as follows −

All components are set, change the directory to the project directory −

cd my_project

Run the imake command to generate a Makefile which then can be used to compile the program with the make command.

sudo imake

To verify whether the Makefile is generated or not use the ls command −

As shown in the above output, the Makefile is generated in the current working directory. Execute the make command, which will create a MyApp file in the current directory. Then, simply execute the output file.

sudo make
./MyApp

Give executable permission to MyApp before running −

sudo chmod +x MyApp

Conclusion

The imake command in Linux is a tool for generating Makefiles by processing an Imakefile with predefined macros and templates. It separates platform-specific settings from core build instructions, ensuring that Makefiles can adapt to different environments. This is particularly useful for older Unix systems with varying configurations.

The imake command requires creating an Imakefile, an Imake.tmpl template, and a C program file. After running imake, a customized Makefile is generated, which can be used with the make command to compile the program.

In this tutorial, we explained the imake command, its installation, syntax, options, and usage in Linux with an example.