Go to the first, previous, next, last section, table of contents.

## Command Echoing

Normally `make` prints each command line before it is executed. We call this echoing because it gives the appearance that you are typing the commands yourself.

When a line starts with ``@'`, the echoing of that line is suppressed. The ``@'` is discarded before the command is passed to the shell. Typically you would use this for a command whose only effect is to print something, such as an `echo` command to indicate progress through the makefile:

    @echo About to make distribution files

When `make` is given the flag ``-n'` or ``--just-print'`, echoing is all that happens, no execution. See section Summary of Options. In this case and only this case, even the commands starting with ``@'` are printed. This flag is useful for finding out which commands `make` thinks are necessary without actually doing them.

The ``-s'` or ``--silent'` flag to `make` prevents all echoing, as if all commands started with ``@'`. A rule in the makefile for the special target `.SILENT` without dependencies has the same effect (see section Special Built-in Target Names). `.SILENT` is essentially obsolete since ``@'` is more flexible.

Go to the first, previous, next, last section, table of contents.