If you need to delete a file,
then the Delete factory
can be used in much the same way as
the Copy factory.
For example, if we want to make sure that
the temporary file
in our last example doesn't exist before
we copy to it,
we could add Delete to the beginning
of the command list:
Command("file.out", "file.in",
[
Delete("tempfile"),
Copy("tempfile", "$SOURCE"),
"modify tempfile",
Copy("$TARGET", "tempfile"),
])
|
When then executes as follows:
% scons -Q
Delete("tempfile")
Copy("tempfile", "file.in")
modify tempfile
Copy("file.out", "tempfile")
|
Of course, like all of these Action
factories,
the Delete factory also expands
$TARGET and $SOURCE variables appropriately.
For example:
Command("file.out", "file.in",
[
Delete("$TARGET"),
Copy("$TARGET", "$SOURCE")
])
|
Executes as:
% scons -Q
Delete("file.out")
Copy("file.out", "file.in")
|
(Note, however, that you typically don't need to
call the Delete factory explicitly in this way;
by default, SCons deletes its target(s)
for you before executing any action.