Cook (software)

cook is a utility that automates the process of converting files from one form to another, doing dependency tracking and invoking external programs to do additional work as needed.

It was created as an alternative to make. It has syntax and semantics similar to that of the C programming language, and is thus widely regarded as being several magnitudes more powerful and easier to use than make. It is particularly useful when it's necessary to invoke applications which have unconventional command line syntax or perform unexpected side effects.