BUG: Running a Program in NMAKE Fails During Preprocessing

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility (NMAKE), versions 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4

SYMPTOMS

When running NMAKE on a makefile that executes an external program during preprocessing with the bracket ("[]") syntax, you get the following error message:

   fatal error U1023: syntax error in expression
   Stop.

CAUSE

The bracket syntax does not work in NMAKE if the expression being evaluated uses either the subtraction operator ("-") or the bitwise XOR operator ("^").

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility (NMAKE), versions 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4.

This syntax is no longer documented and it is not supported in Visual C++ for Windows version 1.51 or Visual C++ 32-bit Edition.

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

   !IF [Test] != 0

   !IF 1 != 0

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