How do I check if file exists in Makefile so I can delete it?

Question

In the clean section of my Makefile I am trying to check if the file exists before deleting permanently. I use this code but I receive errors.

What\'s w

Answer 1

ifneq ("$(wildcard $(PATH_TO_FILE))","")
    FILE_EXISTS = 1
else
    FILE_EXISTS = 0
endif

This solution posted above works best. But make sure that you do not stringify the PATH_TO_FILE assignment E.g.,

PATH_TO_FILE = "/usr/local/lib/libhl++.a" # WILL NOT WORK

It must be

PATH_TO_FILE = /usr/local/lib/libhl++.a