mkgen (MakefileGenerator)

mkgen is a lightweight Makefile generator designed for my everyday C and C++ workflow.

I often start with a small C or C++ file. Then it grows. Suddenly there are multiple .c / .cpp files, header files, and sometimes a graphical library involved. At that point, compiling manually or rewriting a Makefile becomes repetitive and annoying.

So I built mkgen.

It’s written in Python and focuses on C and C++ projects, with optional support for graphical libraries when needed.

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Why mkgen?

• I like coding in C and C++
• Small projects tend to grow faster than expected
• Writing Makefiles over and over is tiring
• Linking multiple source files and libraries manually is error‑prone

mkgen automates the boring part so I can focus on writing code.

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Features

• Automatically generates a Makefile for C and C++ projects
• Detects multiple source files and header files
• Supports both C and C++ compilation
• Designed to scale from tiny projects to larger ones
• Optional / conditional support for graphical libraries
• Simple and minimal by design

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Typical Use Case

1. Start a small C or C++ project
2. Add more .c / .cpp files over time
3. Add headers, maybe a graphical library
4. Run mkgen generate
5. Get a ready‑to‑use Makefile after the interactive menu

No manual compilation. No rewriting Makefiles.

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Philosophy

mkgen is not meant to replace advanced build systems like CMake or Meson.

It is meant to be:

• Simple
• Fast
• Opinionated toward C/C++
• Easy to understand and modify

It exists because I needed it.

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• A C compiler (gcc, clang, etc.)
• or a C++ compiler (g++, clang++)

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Usage

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/gtRZync/mkgen.git

cd mkgen

2. Install globally for convenience:

pip install .

3. You're finally ready to generate your Makefiles on the go :

mkgen generate

or

mkgen generate <system>

or even

mkgen generate --cross-platform

4. Follow the interactive menu and boom a Makefile will appear at the specified output path or current working directory

Commands

generate

Generate a Makefile based on the current project structure and selected options.

This command analyzes the project directory, applies heuristics to detect source/header/output/object folders, and generates the appropriate Makefile.

Usage

mkgen generate [options]

Caution

Folder scanning is not functional yet

Note

Folder scanning is non-recursive by default.
GUI-related flags affect only compilation and linking flags in the generated Makefile.

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version

Display the current version of the tool.

Usage

mkgen version

Note

This command does not accept any additional arguments.
The version command is equivalent to running mkgen --version.
Useful for debugging, bug reports, and verifying installed versions.

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Global options

Flag	Description
-v, --version	Print version information and exit
-h, --help	Show help and exit

Arguments for generate

Optional positional argument

Argument	Description	Default
target_system	Specify the system/OS for which the Makefile should be generated (e.g., linux, windows, macos). ⚠️ Mutually exclusive with --cross-platform.	Current system/OS

Optional keyword arguments (flags)

Argument	Description	Default
--cross-platform	Generate a Makefile that works across multiple systems. ⚠️ Cannot be used with target_system.	Disabled
-l, --lang	Specify the programming language to use. Supported: C or C++.	None
-c, --compiler	Specify the compiler to use. This value will be written into the generated Makefile.	None
-std, --standard	Specify the language standard to use (e.g., c11, c17, c++11, c++17, c++20). Added to compiler flags in the Makefile.	None
--gui	Include GUI library flags in the Makefile. Supported backend: SDL2, SFML, RAYLIB. •If --gui is not specified and --no-gui is not used, the user is prompted to select a backend. • Mutually exclusive with --no-gui.	None
--no-gui	Disable any GUI backend prompts. Mutually exclusive with --gui.	Disabled
-o, --output	Specify the output directory for the Makefile. Defaults to current working directory if path is invalid.	./
--binary-name	Specify the name of the output binary/executable. The Makefile will use this name for the compiled program.	None

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Usage examples:

Defaults to current system

mkgen generate

Providing the optional positional argument

mkgen generate linux

Using optional flags

mkgen generate linux --lang C++ -c clang++ -std c++17 --gui=SDL2 -o ./build --binary-name my_app

mkgen generate -l C++ --gui raylib 

mkgen generate macos -l C -std c23 -c clang --no-gui  

Using cross-platform mode instead of target_system

mkgen generate --cross-platform --lang C

Status

This is a personal tool built for real projects. Features may evolve as my workflow evolves.