Makefile target unexpectadly raising error

My Makefile includes follow target

   run: $(BIN_FILE)
        if [ -d $(BIN_FILE) ]; then $(error Sorry BIN_FILE is directory); else ./$(BIN_FILE) $(RUN_ARGS); fi

But it raises the error no matter whether test passes or not. What is wrong? Why it raises an error even BIN_FILE is not directory? Have directive $(error... any special meaning?

Many thanks.

>Solution :

You can’t embed a Make expression like that inside your shell script. Make performs all expansions of $(...) expressions before the shell even starts, so it sees your $(error ...) command and exits. You would need to emit this error using shell logic instead, doing something like:

run: $(BIN_FILE)
    if [ -d $(BIN_FILE) ]; then \
        echo "Sorry BIN_FILE is directory"; \
        exit 1; \
    fi
    $(BIN_FILE) $(RUN_ARGS)

Or with slightly more compact logic:

run: $(BIN_FILE)
    [ -d "$(BIN_FILE)" ] && { echo "$(BIN_FILE) is a directory"; exit 1; } ||:
    $(BIN_FILE) $(RUN_ARGS)