"make" tool request

"make" tool request

[Samuel Mize]

[ I posted this before, but with a bad reply address.  Sorry. ]
[ If you tried to reply, please try again.  Thanks! - SMize   ]

Greetings, all,
 
I am using the GNAT/gcc compilation system.  However, gnatmake doesn't
quite suit my needs.  Are there any freeware/copyleft tools available
that manage compilation across multiple directories?  I'm digging
through the online repositories, but would appreciate any pointers,
suggestions or personal experiences with one tool or another.
 
The ideal would be a perl or shell-script system with capabilities like
gnatmake or the VADS library management commands.  This would let me
extend it and build in exactly the capabilities we need.
 
Here's the types of function I need.  Assume that I have many Unix
directories of code.  Some of this code depends on code in other
directories, in a directed graph (like a group of Rational subsystems,
where no cross-dependencies are allowed).  I would like to:
 
* Define a set of directories to comprise a build
 
* Do basic management functions like listing everything that goes
  into a given build, check that no code unit appears twice in it,
  check whether everything is fully compiled and ready to link
 
* Automate linking executables out of a build, including linking
  in C files, object files, dynamic shared objects, etc.
 
* Compile everything in a given directory, in a valid order, but
  without compiling anything in other directories (if a depended-on
  unit in another directory needs compilation, the compilation in
  this directory should just fail).
 
* Compile everything in a given directory, and all directories that
  it depends on -- putting the object files into the same directory
  as the source files.
 
gnatmake comes close, but doesn't quite support how I want to
manage code in multiple directories.
 
The file structure used by gcc, and the cross-reference data
provided by gnatf, would let me automate such functions with
PERL without a lot of difficulty, but it would take a good bit
of time.  I don't want to re-do it if it has already been done.
 
I'd greatly appreciate e-mail replies -- I'll post a summary.
 
Thanks,
Samuel Mize

-- 
Samuel Mize -- smize@imagin.net -- Team Ada
(personal net account)