Patent ID: 7966611

Claim:
A method for generating target code compliant with a platform, the method comprising: maintaining a rules file, wherein the rules file includes macro definitions and production rules that are implemented via macros, wherein the macros in response to being evaluated by a make utility direct execution of commands that result in generation of the target code compliant with the platform; maintaining at least one makefile, wherein the at least one makefile is platform-independent and does not include any directive pertaining to the platform, wherein the at least one makefile includes the rules file via include directives, wherein the rules file incorporates platform-specific software production directives, and wherein the at least one makefile in response to being interpreted by the make utility generates the target code compliant with the platform; initiating an execution of the make utility for interpreting the at least one makefile to generate the target code; evaluating at least one production rule expressed in at least one macro included in the rules file, in response to initiating the execution of the make utility; and generating the target code compliant with the platform, wherein different results are produced by different settings to the same variable in different makefiles if the same rules file is included in the different makefiles, wherein each makefile of a plurality of makefiles is included in a separate directory, wherein the rules file includes settings for at least two different operating systems, wherein based on the settings of the rules file and the settings of each makefile, each makefile when executed via the make utility generates a component or instance of a software product compliant with a desired operating system, and wherein a modification of the rules file does not change any content of the makefile.