Create a variable in a makefile by reading contents of another file
Solution 1:
Assuming GNU make:
file := whatever.txt
variable := $(shell cat ${file})
Solution 2:
I'm guessing that you like to set a variable in your Makefile to the contents of another file:
FILE=test.txt
VARIABLE=`cat $(FILE)`
target:
echo $(VARIABLE)
Solution 3:
GNU make version 4.2 supports file reading operation, so with respect to Maxim Egorushkin's great answer there is an optional way to solve this problem now:
FILE := test.txt
variable :=$(file < $(FILE))