Defining default conditions in a description file

When the make command creates a target file but cannot find commands in the description file or internal rules to create a file, it looks at the description file for default conditions.

To define the commands that the make command performs in this case, use the .DEFAULT target name in the description file as follows:

.DEFAULT:
                command
                command
                   .
                   .
                   .

Because .DEFAULT is not a real target file, it is called a fake target. Use the .DEFAULT fake target name for an error-recovery routine or for a general procedure to create all files in the command that are not defined by an internal rule of the make program.