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Q59409: Trouble with Filenames With a Dollar Sign ($) in Inline Files

Article: Q59409
Product(s): Microsoft Programming Utilities
Version(s): MS-DOS:1.01,1.1,1.11,1.12,1.13,1.2,1.3,1.4; OS/2:1.01,1.11,1.12,1.13,1.21
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kb16bitonly
Last Modified: 30-OCT-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft NMAKE Utility for MS-DOS, versions 1.01, 1.1, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 
- Microsoft NMAKE Utility for OS/2, versions 1.01, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.21 
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SUMMARY
=======

If you use a filename that contains a dollar sign ($) in a NMAKE description
file, you can use the escape character (^) to tell NMAKE that the dollar sign is
part of your filename, not a macro character. However, to use the dollar sign in
an inline response file or as a literal character in a command, use two dollar
signs ($$) instead.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Consider the following NMAKE description file:

 all:test^$.exe

  test^$.obj: test^$.c
     cl /c test^$.c

  test^$.exe: test^$.obj
     link @<<
           test^$.obj,
           test^$.exe,
           NUL,;
     <<

In this file, the escape character (^) is used to tell NMAKE that the $ is part
of the filename TEST$.* and does not denote a macro. When TEST$.C is compiled,
everything works correctly. However, the inline response file for LINK does not
work as expected. NMAKE does not interpret the ^ character, but instead passes
it on to LINK.EXE. LINK then tries to link TEST^$.OBJ instead of TEST$.OBJ and
fails. If you eliminate the ^ to pass TEST$.OBJ to link, NMAKE fails. NMAKE
version 1.4 generates the following error:

  U1002: syntax error: invalid macro invocation '$'

The following presents two methods to work around this situation:

1. Use an external response file. Change the LINK command in the make file to
  something similar to "LINK @FILE.RES" (without the quotation marks). You can
  put the filename TEST$.OBJ directly in the response file.

-or-

2. Use $$ as the escape sequence in the inline response file and in other
  command blocks instead of ^$. For example, change the example above as
  follows:

  
  link @<<
         test$$.obj,
         test$$.exe,
         NUL,;
     <<

  NMAKE correctly passes TEST$.OBJ to LINK.

Additional query words: kbinf 1.20 1.30 1.40

======================================================================
Keywords          : kb16bitonly 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbAudDeveloper kbNMAKESearch kbNMAKE101DOS kbNMAKE110DOS kbNMAKE111DOS kbNMAKE112DOS kbNMAKE113DOS kbNMAKE120DOS kbNMAKE130DOS kbNMAKE140DOS kbNMAKE101OS2 kbNMAKE111OS2 kbNMAKE112OS2 kbNMAKE113OS2 kbNMAKE121OS2
Version           : MS-DOS:1.01,1.1,1.11,1.12,1.13,1.2,1.3,1.4; OS/2:1.01,1.11,1.12,1.13,1.21

=============================================================================

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