A simple Makefile Tutorial

Suppose we have three files:

// hellomake.h
#include <hellomake.h>

int main() {
  // call a function in another file
  myPrintHelloMake();

  return(0);
}

// hellomake.h
void myPrintHelloMake(void);

// hellofunc.c
#include <stdio.h>
#include <hellomake.h>

void myPrintHelloMake(void) {

  printf("Hello makefiles!\n");

  return;
}

Makefile1

hellomake: hellomake.c hellofunc.c
    gcc -o hellomake hellomake.c hellofunc.c -I.

1. make with no arguments executes the first command in the file.
2. the list of files after : make make knows that the rule hellomake needs to be executed if any of those files change.