How to correct docker in makefile which requires at least 1 argument for remove all containers command

Question

The docker command "docker container rm $(docker ps -aq) -f" works fine from the command line. However, when I try to run it from a makefile using the following target ("remove_all_containers")...

remove_all_containers:
       docker container rm $(docker ps -aq) -f

I get the error message:

host_name$ make remove_all_containers
docker container rm  -f
"docker container rm" requires at least 1 argument.
See 'docker container rm --help'.

Usage:  docker container rm [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]

Remove one or more containers
make: *** [remove_all_containers] Error 1

Clearly, when executed from within the makefile, the "docker ps" command is not being properly being properly executed in a way where its results can be collected and passed into the "container rm" command.

My Question: How do I get the "docker ps" command to run correctly from within the makefile and pass its results correctly into the "docker rm" command, also within the makefile?

Thanks, in advance, for any assistance you can offer.

Answer 1

You need a second $ in your recipe:

remove_all_containers:
       docker container rm $$(docker ps -aq) -f
#                           ^

The single $ is expanded as a makefile variable when the makefile is parsed. It expands to blank. Make therefore passes docker container rm -f to your shell. The second $ sign causes make to expand $$ to $, and it will pass docker container rm $(docker ps -aq) -f to bash, which I'm guessing is what you want.

Notice, if you put the shell in there as @EricMd proposed, it will run a shell command, but that command will be run at Makefile read time, as opposed to the time that the recipe is executed. If the docker ps -aq command is dependent on any other artifacts of your build it would not work.