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Makefile to drun Conversion

This folder contains examples for converting Makefiles to drun format.

Convert Command

The xdrun cmd:from makefile command converts Makefiles into equivalent drun v2 task files.

The cmd: prefix is reserved for built-in commands to avoid conflicts with user-defined tasks.

Usage

xdrun cmd:from makefile [flags]

Flags:
  -i, --input <file>    Path to input Makefile (default: Makefile)
  -o, --output <file>   Path to output .drun file (default: <input>.drun)
  -h, --help            Help for convert command

Examples

Convert the default Makefile in current directory:

xdrun cmd:from makefile

Convert a specific Makefile:

xdrun cmd:from makefile -i myproject.mk -o myproject.drun

Convert with explicit paths:

xdrun cmd:from makefile --input Makefile --output tasks.drun

Convert the example Makefile:

xdrun cmd:from makefile -i examples/makefile-conversion/example.Makefile \
                        -o examples/makefile-conversion/converted.drun

What Gets Converted

The converter handles:

  • Targets → drun tasks
  • Dependencies → depends on declarations
  • Variables → drun variables with interpolation
  • Comments → task descriptions
  • Shell commands → run, echo, create dir, etc.
  • .PHONY targets → properly marked
  • @ prefix (silent) → preserved as appropriate drun actions
  • - prefix (ignore errors) → wrapped in try/ignore blocks

Example Conversion

Input Makefile

# Build the application
PROJECT_NAME = myapp
VERSION = 1.0.0

.PHONY: build

build: install
    @echo "Building $(PROJECT_NAME) version $(VERSION)..."
    mkdir -p build
    go build -o build/$(PROJECT_NAME)

Output drun

version: 2.0

# Variables from Makefile (will be set in tasks):
# - $project_name = "myapp"
# - $version = "1.0.0"

task "build" means "Build the application":
    depends on "install"

    # Set variables from Makefile (included in tasks that use them)
    set $project_name to "myapp"
    set $version to "1.0.0"

    info "Running build"

    echo "Building {$project_name} version {$version}..."
    create dir "build"
    run "go build -o build/{$project_name}"

    success "build completed successfully!"

Files in This Directory

  • example.Makefile - Example Makefile demonstrating common patterns
  • example-converted.drun - The converted drun equivalent
  • README.md - This file

Limitations

Some Makefile features cannot be directly converted:

  • Complex shell scripting (use run command with full shell script)
  • Automatic variables like $@, $< (need manual conversion)
  • Pattern rules and wildcards (convert to explicit tasks)
  • Conditional directives (ifdef, ifndef) (use drun conditionals)
  • Functions like $(shell ...) (use drun's capture from shell)

For complex Makefiles, the converter provides a good starting point that you can then refine manually.

Tips

  1. Review the output - Always check the converted file and adjust as needed
  2. Test incrementally - Test each converted task to ensure it works correctly
  3. Use drun features - Take advantage of drun's semantic actions for cleaner code
  4. Preserve comments - Add comments above targets in your Makefile for better descriptions
  5. Simplify variables - Consider using drun's built-in functions instead of shell substitutions

Contributing

If you find conversion patterns that could be improved, please contribute to the converter in:

  • internal/make2drun/parser.go - Makefile parsing logic
  • internal/make2drun/generator.go - drun generation logic
  • cmd/drun/app/convert.go - CLI command implementation