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Q184088: FIX: LNK4056 Warning Generated with Comma in #pragma Comment

Article: Q184088
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): winnt:2.0,2.1,2.2,4.0,4.0a,4.1,4.2,5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbLangC kbVC kbVC200bug kbVC210bug kbVC220bug kbVC400bug kbVC410bug kbVC500bug kbVC600f
Last Modified: 07-MAY-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual C++, versions 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 4.0, 4.0a, 4.1 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition, versions 4.2, 5.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition, versions 4.2, 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

The comment pragma allows the user to insert strings into an executable. If a
comma is used in the comment string, as follows:

  #pragma comment(exestr,"This is a , comma")

then the linker generates the following warning:

  warning LNK4056: extra arguments ignored for option
  "/comment:This is a , comma"

where the "extra arguments" refers to the text after the "," in the comment
string.

CAUSE
=====

The comment pragma is translated by the compiler into the /comment linker
option. The linker interprets the comma as a separator between arguments, and
ignores the "second" argument.

RESOLUTION
==========

Add a space or some other character in place of the comma, and then edit the
executable and replace the space with a comma. To do this, open the executable
file in Developer Studio using the binary format. Select File/Open, choose
Binary under the "Open As" combo box, and open the .exe file. Locate the string,
and edit the executable directly to add a comma where needed.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products that are
listed at the beginning of this article.

This bug was corrected in Visual C++ 6.0.


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

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

  #pragma comment(exestr,"This is a , comma")

  void main(void)
  {}

REFERENCES
==========

Visual C++ version 5.0 Online Documentation, #pragma comment:
mk:@ivt:vccore/F39/D3B/S4C36D.HTM

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbLangC kbVC kbVC200bug kbVC210bug kbVC220bug kbVC400bug kbVC410bug kbVC500bug kbVC600fix 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbVC400 kbAudDeveloper kbVC220 kbVC410 kbVC420 kbVC500 kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC32bitSearch kbVC400a kbVC500Search
Version           : winnt:2.0,2.1,2.2,4.0,4.0a,4.1,4.2,5.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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