Start the spec file with %define statements at the top. Continue the spec file as you would normally, using the variables you just defined in place of the real name, version, build. Create an rpmbuild script that replaces the template variables with current information. Make an rpm target in your Makefile that calls the rpmbuild script.

In GNU’s Make manual, there’s a description of how to use one Makefile to call targets of another Makefile. You have to use $(MAKE) in order for it to work properly. I’ve found one little snag that’s not mentioned. If my target name is the same as the directory name where the other Makefile is, it will never work. It always says it’s up to date! If I change the target name, it works fine.

You have a bunch of related applications, each has their own Makefile that knows only about their own application, but you have dependencies where one app needs to be built before another. Here’s a skeleton bash script for building any one thing or everything.

#!/bin/bash

function build {
echo "*** …