why can't gnumake utilize non-filename pattern rules?

If I have the rule

% : gen%

(without a rule), make won't work - it says "no rule to
build file $*".
If I say 

% : gen%
.PHONY : %

make won't work - it simply skips the pattern rule.

I want to make a dependency chain based on a pattern rule,
without the
pattern rule target necessarily being a file. Why can't I do
this? Or
how could I do this?
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Randy Yates <yatesieee.org> wrote:
> make won't work - it simply skips the pattern rule.

I have a vauge memory about a bug in gnu make 3.80. If I
remember right
the bug caused make to skip pattern rules at some
circumstances. For
me it helped to upgrade to version 3.81 of gnu make to avoid
the problem.

Are you using a version of gnu make older than 3.81?

regards Henrik
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Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvistdeadspam.com> writes:

> Randy Yates <yatesieee.org> wrote:
>> make won't work - it simply skips the pattern
rule.
>
> I have a vauge memory about a bug in gnu make 3.80. If
I remember right
> the bug caused make to skip pattern rules at some
circumstances. For
> me it helped to upgrade to version 3.81 of gnu make to
avoid the problem.
>
> Are you using a version of gnu make older than 3.81?

Hi Henrik,

Thank you for responding. 

No, I am using 3.81. 

This is not a bug - it's in the manual. 

  Since it knows that phony targets do not name actual files
that could
  be remade from other files, make skips the implicit rule
search for
  phony targets (see Chapter 10 [Implicit Rules], page 89).
This is
  why declaring a target phony is good for performance, even
if you
  are not worried about the actual file existing.


-- 
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