[bug #62929] Normalize foo/./bar

[Rex Yuan]

Follow-up Comment #14, bug #62929 (project make):

Thanks for digging this part of the manual up.

> There are two exceptions: a target starting with a period is not a default
unless it contains one or more slashes, ‘/’, as well;

I attempt to express this precisely in a somewhat informal modal logic form:
1. start_with_period(target) & !contains_slashes(target) =>
!possible[default(target)]
2. start_with_period(target) & contains_slashes(target) =>
possible[default(target)]
3. possible[default(target)] & is_first(target) => default(target)

While this exception does explain the behavior of the examples I provided in
the comment before, I don't think it explains that of this Makefile:


.a:
        $(info 0)

./.b: # skip
        $(info 1)

c: # choose
        $(info 2)


1. './.b' starts with a '.'; start_with_period('./.b') holds
2. './.b' contains one or more '/'; contains_slashes('./.b') holds

It follows that './.b' should be default. Yet, 'c' is chosen.


$ make -p | grep DEFAULT_GOAL
.DEFAULT_GOAL := c
$ ./makebin/make-4.3/make -p | grep DEFAULT_GOAL
.DEFAULT_GOAL := c


----

Another thing I'd like to add is that there is another parenthetical mention
that should probably be clarified. It is that in the index entry of
.DEFAULT_GOAL
<https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Name-Index.html#Name-Index_fn_symbol-6:~:text=.DEFAULT_GOAL%20(define%20default%20goal)>,
the linked 6.14 Other Special Variables item
<https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Special-Variables.html#index-_002eDEFAULT_005fGOAL-_0028define-default-goal_0029:~:text=name2%20%3D%20inc.mk-,.DEFAULT_GOAL,-Sets%20the%20default>
which in turn links 9.2 Arguments to Specify the Goals
<https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Goals.html#Goals:~:text=By%20default%2C%20the%20goal%20is%20the%20first%20target%20in%20the%20makefile%20(not%20counting%20targets%20that%20start%20with%20a%20period).>
it says:

> By default, the goal is the first target in the makefile (not counting
targets that start with a period).


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