# What's the nearest ruby equivalent to waf?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/whats-the-nearest-ruby-equivalent-to-waf/183450>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 14, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/whats-the-nearest-ruby-equivalent-to-waf/183450 "2010-02-14T17:28:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Martin_DeMello)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/whats-the-nearest-ruby-equivalent-to-waf/183450/1 "2010-02-14T17:28:06Z")

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[italians.nl](http://stefano.italians.nl/archives/66) is a pretty nice example of  
using waf, a python build tool, instead of autoconf and make, to build  
a c++ project. Is there a ruby build tool that can be used for  
something similar? (This is not a case of NIH; looking at the waf  
script in that example, I can imagine it being a lot nicer in ruby)

martin

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**Author:** ![Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Martin_DeMello)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/whats-the-nearest-ruby-equivalent-to-waf/183450/2 "2010-02-14T17:53:51Z")

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What about rake? I am using it in a c/ruby project. It basically just  
adds the task stuff,  
finding headers etc. can bw done with mkmf.

Here is the rakefile, maybe it can help you:

> **[subtle - /Rakefile - Subforge](http://subforge.org/projects/subtle/repository/entry/Rakefile)**
>
> Subforge - where subtle development meets subtler users

Wbr

Christoph

---- On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:27:36 +0100 Martin DeMello  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote ----

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**Author:** ![Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@Martin\_DeMello](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Martin_DeMello)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/whats-the-nearest-ruby-equivalent-to-waf/183450/3 "2010-02-14T19:08:10Z")

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thanks, that’s pretty neat. i’d forgotten about mkmf.

martin

On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 10:18 PM, Christoph K.