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Q68234: Recursively Calling NMAKE Using the MAKEFLAGS Macro

Article: Q68234
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 1.11   | 1.11
Operating System(s): MS-DOS | OS/2
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | docerr | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 17-JAN-1991

According to page 113 of the "Microsoft C Advanced Programming
Techniques" manual, if you want to invoke NMAKE recursively, the macro
$(MAKEFLAGS) can be used to pass the command-line switches to the
recursively invoked NMAKE. However, the $(MAKEFLAGS) macro will
contain only the letters of the switches and will not contain the
actual command-line syntax.

For example, if the original command line contained "/D /N", the
$(MAKEFLAGS) macro will contain "DN". This results in NMAKE trying to
use the $(MAKEFLAGS) macro as the name of the makefile, rather than as
command-line switches. To use the $(MAKEFLAGS) macro to invoke NMAKE
recursively, it is necessary to precede it with a hyphen (-) or
forward slash (/) so that NMAKE uses the macro as a set of
command-line switches. The documentation should read:

   $(MAKE) -$(MAKEFLAGS)

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