---
name: "automake-1.4"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "automake1.4"
version: "1:1.4-p6-13.1"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/automake-1.4"
---

# automake-1.4(1)

automatically create Makefile.in's from Makefile.am's

## NAME

automake - automatically create Makefile.in's from Makefile.am's

## SYNOPSIS

**automake** \[ **-a** \| **--add-missing** \] \[ **--amdir=**DIR \] \[ **--build-dir=**DIR \] \[ **-c** \| **--copy** \] \[ **--cygnus** \] \[ **--foreign** \] \[ **--gnits** \] \[ **--gnu** \] \[ **--help** \] \[ **-i** \| **--include-deps** \] \[ **--no-force** \] \[ **-o** DIR \] \[ **--output-dir=**DIR \] \[ **--srcdir-name=**DIR \] \[ **-v** \| **--verbose** \] \[ **--version** \]

## DESCRIPTION

To create all the  **Makefile.in**s for a package, run the  **automake** program in the top level directory, with no arguments.   **automake** will automatically find each appropriate  **Makefile.am** (by scanning **configure.in**) and generate the corresponding  **Makefile.in**. Note that  **automake** has a rather simplistic view of what constitutes a package; it assumes that a package has only one **configure.in**, at the top.  If your package has multiple  **configure.in**s, then you must run **automake** in each directory holding a  **configure.in**.

You can optionally give  **automake** an argument;  **.am** is appended to the argument and the result is used as the name of the input file.  This feature is generally only used to automatically rebuild an out-of-date **Makefile.in**. Note that  **automake** must always be run from the topmost directory of a project, even if being used to regenerate the **Makefile.in** in some subdirectory.  This is necessary because  **automake** must scan  **configure.in**, and because  **automake** uses the knowledge that a  **Makefile.in** is in a subdirectory to change its behavior in some cases.

**automake** accepts the following options:

- **-a**

  - **--add-missing**

  Automake requires certain common files to exist in certain situations; for instance  **config.guess** is required if **configure.in** runs  **AC\_CANONICAL\_HOST**. Automake is distributed with several of these files; this option will cause the missing ones to be automatically added to the package, whenever possible.  In general if Automake tells you a file is missing, try using this option.

- **--amdir=DIR**

  Look for Automake data files in directory DIR instead of in the installation directory.  This is typically used for debugging.

- **--build-dir=DIR**

  Tell Automake where the build directory is.  This option is used when including dependencies into a  **Makefile.in** generated by  **make** **dist**; it should not be used otherwise.

- **-c**

  - **--copy**

  When used with **--add-missing**, causes installed files to be copied. The default is to make a symbolic link.

- **--cygnus**

  Causes the generated  **Makefile.in**s to follow Cygnus rules, instead of GNU or Gnits rules.

- **--foreign**

  Set the global strictness to  **foreign**.

- **--gnits**

  Set the global strictness to  **gnits**.

- **--gnu**

  Set the global strictness to  **gnu**. This is the default strictness.

- **--help**

  Print a summary of the command line options and exit.

- **-i**

  - **--include-deps**

  Include all automatically generated dependency information in the generated **Makefile.in**. This is generally done when making a distribution.

- **--no-force**

  Ordinarily  **automake** creates all  **Makefile.in**s mentioned in **configure.in**. This option causes it to only update those **Makefile.in**s which are out of date with respect to one of their dependents.

- **-o DIR**

  - **--output-dir=DIR**

  Put the generated  **Makefile.in** in the directory DIR.  Ordinarily each  **Makefile.in** is created in the directory of the corresponding  **Makefile.am**. This option is used when making distributions.

- **--srcdir-name=DIR**

  Tell Automake the name of the source directory associated with the current build.  This option is used when including dependencies into a **Makefile.in** generated by  **make**dist**;** it should not be used otherwise.

- **-v**

  - **--verbose**

  Cause Automake to print information about which files are being read or created.

- **--version**

  Print the version number of Automake and exit.

## SEE ALSO

[**aclocal**(1)](/aclocal/1.md), and the Texinfo documentation for automake

## AUTHORS

Automake was written primarily by David Mackenzie and Tom Tromey. This manpage written by Ben Pfaff \<pfaffben@pilot.msu.edu\> for the Debian GNU/Linux **automake** package.