Appendix B Symbols

One of the core concepts of this utility is the notion of symbols. Use of symbols follows the makefile convention of enclosing within $(), for example $(EDK_SOURCE). As the utility processes files during execution, it will often perform parsing of variable assignments. These variables can then be referenced in other sections of the DSC file. Variable assignments will be saved internally in either a local or global symbol table. The local symbol table is purged following processing of individual component INF files. Global symbol values persist throughout execution of the utility. Local symbol values take precedent over global symbols. The following table describes the symbols generated internally by the utility. They can be overridden either on the command line, in the DSC file, or in individual INF files. The G/L column indicates whether the symbol is typically a global or a local symbol.

Table 8 Symbol Description

Symbol Name	G/L	Description
EDK_SOURCE	G	Defines the root directory of the local EDK source tree, for example C:\EFI2.0 If not defined as an environmental variable when the tool is invoked, the utility will attempt to determine a reasonable value based on the current working directory.
EFI_SOURCE	G	Defines the root directory of the local EDK source tree, for example C:\EFI2.0 If not defined as an environmental variable when the tool is invoked, the utility will attempt to determine a reasonable value based on the current working directory.
PROCESSOR	G/L	Defines the target processor for which the code is to be built. This symbol will typically be used to include or exclude source files in component INF files, and to define the tool chain for building.
BUILD_DIR	G	Defines the build tip directory for the current platform. For example, this may be $(EDK_SOURCE)\Platform\Anacortes_870.
SOURCE_DIR	L	For a component, defines the directory of the component source files.
DEST_DIR	L	For a component, defines the directory (typically under BUILD_DIR) where the component object files are to be built.
LIB_DIR	L	Specifies the directory where EFI libraries are deposited after building. Typically $(BUILD_DIR)\$(PROCESSOR)
BIN_DIR	L	Specifies the directory where final component binaries are deposited during build. Typically $(BUILD_DIR)\$(PROCESSOR)
OUT_DIR	L	Unused, but typically $(BUILD_DIR)\$(PROCESSOR)
DSC_FILENAME	G	Name of the DSC file as specified on the command line. Can be used for dependencies in the makefiles.
INF_FILENAME	L	Name of the INF file for a given component. Can be used for dependencies in the makefiles.
FV_EXT	L	Common component type (BS driver, application, etc) have predefined file name extensions assigned (.dxe, .app, etc). If there is a deviation from the convention, or a new
		(unknown to the utility) component type is being built, then FV_EXT may need to be defined for the component so the utility knows the result file name extension. This information is necessary to generate dependencies in makefile.out.
MAKEFILE_NAME	L	Name of the output makefile for the component. Default is "makefile". This value can be overridden to support building different variations of a component in the same DEST_DIR directory.
PLATFORM	L	This symbol can be used to provide more selectivity of files in the component INF files. If assigned, then the utility will also process any files in the INF file under sections [sources.$(PROCESSOR).$(PLATFORM)], [includes.$(PROCESSOR).$(PLATFORM)], and [libraries.$(PROCESSOR).$(PLATFORM)].
FILE	L	As the utility processes each source file in the component INF file, this symbol gets assigned the name of the file, less the file extension.
PACKAGE	L/G	If defined, then the utility will create a package file named $(DEST_DIR)\$(BASE_NAME).pkg, and copy, with macro expansion, the [package.$(COMPONENT_TYPE).$(PACKAGE)] section from the DSC file to the output file.
PACKAGE_FILE	L	If defined, then the utility will not generate a package file. The build can then use the value $(PACKAGE_FILE) to have GenFfsFile use an existing package file for creating the firmware file.