TOBi Builder MAKEi Fails with BLEUUURGH Error Code – A Quick Debugging Tale
Hey there, fellow IBM i programmers. Today we’re diving into a real-world head-scratcher I hit while working with TOBi (the IBM i Object Builder) and its MAKEi component.
If you’ve ever tried to compile from your local source copies and instead of the usual nice “X programs compiled, Y failed” summary, you got a horrible mess of Python script errors, “failed to download a file”, “no such file”, or some equally unhelpful BLEUUURGH, then this one’s for you.
The Symptoms
You fire off a full source code compile via TOBi and instead of clean results you see something like:
- Open cy packages lib toby source make i entry
- Python script stuff
- Fail fail fail
- Fetching errors
- Failed to download a file after action no such file
TOBi basically pooped the bed when running MAKEI to compile the stuff:
This is part of Code for IBM i, and it can bring your build process to a screeching halt.
I saw this badly when I rebuilt my public GitHub repo (nick.litten.public – go grab the code if you fancy). The error was everywhere. I asked Bob (Project Bob) to review and setup and compilation values, but it just seemed to make it worse. GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, and even Perplexity all shrugged their digital shoulders. No joy from the AIs.
The Root Cause (Spoiler: It’s Your rules.mk Files)
After much digging, the culprit is almost always a rules.mk file somewhere in your project hierarchy that contains invalid MAKE syntax. Or simply extra Rules.mk files that are not referenced and spurious.
In my case, I had copied a couple of folders into a “work in progress” directory. Those folders still had their old rules.mk files containing commands that weren’t valid make syntax anymore. Even though the main build process shouldn’t have cared about that WIP folder, TOBi was picking it up and choking.
My typical folder setup looks like this:
- Root
- Bob (all the Bob config)
- IBMi (main rules file)
- Subfolders with their own rules.mk for building objects
- Work in progress (where I mess around with modernization)
- Code snippets (no rules.mk, which is correctly ignored)
The build walks the tree, hits a dodgy rules.mk deep in a subfolder, and explodes with a generic error. Not helpful.
How I Fixed It
I used IBM BOB to hunt down and rename the offending rules.mk files in the WIP area (to rules.wip or whatever). Once those extra files were out of the way, the builds ran cleanly again.
Pro tip: If you’re seeing weird compile errors pointing at unexpected paths (like “work in progress”), go hunting for rules.mk files that shouldn’t be there or contain leftover junk at the bottom.
Feature Request Time
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if TOBi (or Code for IBM i) had a built-in RULES.MK Validator at the project level? Something that scans before the build and tells you “Hey mate, this file has invalid syntax on line 42” instead of the current cryptic failure?
I even started a discussion on the IBM i TOBi GitHub page about it. Fingers crossed the team picks it up. If you are facing the same head scratching dilemmas go over, leave a comment and let’s see if this issue can bubble up the development team’s priority list.
Wrapping Up
Next time you get that BLEUUURGH error from MAKEi, don’t panic and don’t waste hours asking AIs. Start by checking your rules.mk files in unexpected folders. Clean Syntax = Happy Builds.
If this saved you some debugging time, drop a comment, buy me a virtual beer, or just go modernize some legacy code. That’s what it’s all about on IBM i.
Until next time, keep your source clean, your rules valid, and your compiles green.
