Make: Can implicit rules be forced to make non-existing prerequisites?

Dear all,

I want to set up a Makefile to handle installation and
checking etc.
of a bunch of R packages, and I'd like to be able to add a
new
package by just adding the new name to a variable. I use
implicit
rules to try and pull this off. The problem I run into is
that make
cannot
be bothered to make prerequisites required by an implicit
rule, but in
my
case, that's what I need.

Here's my Makefile:

RPACKS                  = xpipe jtkstuff
RPACKS_INSTALL          = $(RPACKS:%=%-install)
RPACKS_UNINSTALL        = $(RPACKS:%=%-uninstall)
RPACKS_CHECK            = $(RPACKS:%=%-check)

install : $(RPACKS_INSTALL)

# explicit rule: target is unconditionally made
jtkstuff-install :
        echo target: $ prerequisites: $^
        R CMD INSTALL jtkstuff

# implicit rule: nothing is made
%-install :
        echo target: $ prerequisites: $^
        R CMD INSTALL $*

.PHONY : install uninstall check clean $(RPRACKS)
$(RPACKS_INSTALL)

make -n -d install shows the problem:

Updating goal targets....
Considering target file `install'.
 File `install' does not exist.
  Considering target file `xpipe-install'.
   File `xpipe-install' does not exist.
   Finished prerequisites of target file `xpipe-install'.
  Must remake target `xpipe-install'.
  Successfully remade target file `xpipe-install'.
  Considering target file `jtkstuff-install'.
   File `jtkstuff-install' does not exist.
   Finished prerequisites of target file
`jtkstuff-install'.
  Must remake target `jtkstuff-install'.
echo target: jtkstuff-install prerequisites:
R CMD INSTALL jtkstuff
  Successfully remade target file `jtkstuff-install'.
 Finished prerequisites of target file `install'.
Must remake target `install'.
Successfully remade target file `install'.

Obviously, make handles the explicit jtkstuff-install rule
differently
from the implicit %-install rule in that it does execute the
commands
for the former while it considers the implicitly specified
target
xpipe-install to be remade without actually doing anything.

Is there any way to change this behaviour?

Regards & thanks in advance, Jan

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Make: Can implicit rules be forced to make non-existing prerequisites?

Thread: Make: Can implicit rules be forced to make non-existing prerequisites?