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Q122220: FIX: Return Value Not Ignored with NMAKE’s Dash (-) Command

Article: Q122220
Product(s): Microsoft Programming Utilities
Version(s): 1.0,1.5,1.51,2.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbbuglist kbfixlist
Last Modified: 04-MAY-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility (NMAKE), used with:
   - Microsoft Visual C++, versions 1.5, 1.51 
   - Microsoft Visual C++, versions 1.0, 2.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When using the dash command (-) in a makefile to turn off error checking for a
given command, return values that are greater than 255 will not be ignored.
NMAKE will detect an error and the make process will be terminated, as shown
below:

  NMAKE : fatal error U1077: 'C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CMD.EXE' : return
  code '0xYYY'
  Stop.

YYY is the hexadecimal value of the return code from the command that generated
the error.

RESOLUTION
==========

Use the !CMDSWITCHES (+/-) I directive to work around this problem. For
example:

     !CMDSWITCHES +I
     mylabel:
          mycommand
     !CMDSWITCHES -I

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. This problem was fixed in Microsoft Visual C++,
32-bit Edition, version 4.0.

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

Sample Code
-----------

The following makefile will prematurely terminate after the mycommand statement
if an error MYCOMMAND.EXE returns is a value greater that 255. A small MS-DOS-
or Windows NT-based console program returning a value can be used as mycommand.

  mylabel:
       -mycommand

Additional query words: 1.50 1.51 1.00 2.00 buglist1.50 buglist1.51 buglist1.00 buglist2.00

======================================================================
Keywords          :  kbbuglist kbfixlist
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbAudDeveloper kbNMAKESearch
Version           : :1.0,1.5,1.51,2.0
Solution Type     : kbfix

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

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