Only after it has tried to find a way to remake a makefile and failed,
will @code{make} diagnose the missing makefile as a fatal error.
+If you want @code{make} to simply ignore a makefile which does not exist
+and cannot be remade, with no error message, use the @w{@code{-include}}
+directive instead of @code{include}, like this:
+
+@example
+-include @var{filenames}@dots{}
+@end example
+
+This is acts like @code{include} in every way except that there is no
+error (not even a warning) if any of the @var{filenames} do not exist.
+
@node MAKEFILES Variable, Remaking Makefiles, Include, Makefiles
@section The Variable @code{MAKEFILES}
@cindex makefile, and @code{MAKEFILES} variable
The syntax @w{@samp{@var{archive}(@var{mem1} @var{mem2}@dots{})}} to list
multiple members in a single archive file comes from SunOS 4 @code{make}.
@xref{Archive Members}.
+
+@item
+The @code{-include} directive to include makefiles with no error for a
+nonexistent file comes from SunOS 4 @code{make}. (But note that SunOS 4
+@code{make} does not allow multiple makefiles to be specified in one
+@code{-include} directive.)
@end itemize
The remaining features are inventions new in GNU @code{make}: