How can I specify a file to be copied in an Android.mk file

Question

Is there a macro or command to copy files? I'd like a 3rd party library (libThirdParty.so) to be copied to the output directory (lib). This is the contents of my Android.mk file

LOCAL_PATH:= $(call my-dir)

include $(CLEAR_VARS)

LOCAL_MODULE    := ndkFoo
LOCAL_SRC_FILES := ndkFoo.c

LOCAL_LDLIBS := -L$(SYSROOT)/usr/lib -llog

include $(BUILD_SHARED_LIBRARY)

Answer 1

I have a build step I added for one of my .cpp files that's generated; you could do something similar.

Note that I was told that what I was doing was Not Supported by Google, so use at your own risk. I've been using something like the code below for more than a year, though. Here's a rough idea of what it would look like:

LOCAL_PATH:= $(call my-dir)
# this was important for some cases; can't remember if it's important here, but I don't want to steer you wrong if it isn't
REAL_LOCAL_PATH:=$(LOCAL_PATH) 

include $(CLEAR_VARS)

LOCAL_MODULE    := ndkFoo
# again, I'm being paranoid here
REAL_LOCAL_MODULE    := $(LOCAL_MODULE)

LOCAL_SRC_FILES := ndkFoo.c

$(REAL_LOCAL_PATH)/obj/local/armeabi/$(REAL_LOCAL_MODULE).so : $(REAL_LOCAL_PATH)/libs/armeabi/libThirdParty.so

$(REAL_LOCAL_PATH)/libs/armeabi/libThirdParty.so : $(PATH_TO_LIB_THIRD_PARTY)/libThirdParty.so
    cp $(PATH_TO_LIB_THIRD_PARTY)/libThirdParty.so $(REAL_LOCAL_PATH)/libs/armeabi/libThirdParty.so

LOCAL_LDLIBS := -L$(SYSROOT)/usr/lib -llog
include $(BUILD_SHARED_LIBRARY)

Note you'll need to define PATH_TO_LIB_THIRD_PARTY.

ALSO note that copy-and-paste may or may not work. Makefiles are notoriously picky about indents. I'd make sure that the "cp" line has a real tab indent, and that nothing else is indented. If "cp" doesn't work, then make may be delegating to CMD, and you can try "copy" instead.

Good luck.