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The pages on this site contain documentation for very old MS-DOS software, purely for historical purposes. If you're looking for up-to-date documentation, particularly for programming, you should not rely on the information found here, as it will be woefully out of date.

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     To define an inference rule, use the following syntax:
 
          .fromext.toext:
            commands
 
     A rule specifies two extensions:
 
        ■ <fromext> represents the extension of a dependent file
 
        ■ <toext> represents the extension of a target file
 
     The period (.) that precedes <fromext> must appear at the
     beginning of the line. The colon (:) can be preceded by zero or
     more spaces or tabs; it can be followed only by spaces or tabs, a
     semicolon (;) to specify a command, a number sign (#) to specify a
     comment, or a newline character. No other spaces are allowed.
     Extensions are not case sensitive. Search paths can be specified.
     See: ◄Inference Rule Search Paths►
 
     Macros can be invoked to represent the extensions. Macros are
     expanded during preprocessing. If the macros are redefined, NMAKE
     uses the definition that is current at that point during
     preprocessing. To reuse an inference rule with different macro
     definitions, you must repeat the rule after the new definition.
     See: ◄Using Macros►
 
     The inference rule gives the commands that are to be run if a
     dependency is out-of-date. Commands in inference rules have the
     same syntax and restrictions as in description blocks.
     See: ◄Commands►
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