BUG: Running a Program in NMAKE Fails During Preprocessing

MORE INFORMATION

The bracket syntax can be used to have NMAKE run a program during preprocessing of a makefile. NMAKE replaces the program specification in the makefile with the program's return code. For example, if "Test" is a program that has a return code of 1, after preprocessing, the makefile NMAKE would change the expression to the following: The sample code below can be used to duplicate the problem with the bracket syntax and the subtraction and bitwise XOR operators. To reproduce the problem, build the Test program (which simply returns the integer value it has been passed on the command line) and then run NMAKE on the sample makefile.

Sample Code

/* TEST.CPP
   Compile options needed: none
*/ 

   #include <stdio.h>
   #include <stdlib.h>

   int main( int argc, char ** argv )
   {
       return atoi( argv[1] );
   }


   # MAKEFILE
   #
   # Command line options needed: none
   #
   # The expression [Test 4] - 4 should be preprocessed to be
   # 4 - 4, which evaluates to 0 or false. However, NMAKE issues
   # the U1023 error instead.

   all:
   !IF [Test 4] - 4
       @echo Expression evaluated to true
   !ELSE
       @echo Expression evaluated to false
   !ENDIF