FIX: NMAKE 1.13 May Return U1002: Invalid Macro Invocation '$'

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft NMAKE Utility for MS-DOS and OS/2, version 1.13

SYMPTOMS

NMAKE version 1.13 generates the following error when an "extra" dollar sign ($) is used in an environment variable:

   fatal error U1002: syntax error : invalid macro invocation '$'

CAUSE

Unlike previous versions, NMAKE version 1.13 evaluates all environment variables as inherited macros at initialization time. Because the $ character indicates that a macro follows, NMAKE attempts to evaluate the character following the final dollar sign in the context of a macro. For example, using a command such as "Prompt $p$g$" to set the system prompt, and then using NMAKE 1.13, causes this error.

RESOLUTION

The online help for the U1002 error indicates that it occurs when a single dollar sign ($) appears without a macro name associated with it. This error can be eliminated by avoiding extraneous dollar signs in environment variables.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in NMAKE version 1.13 for MS-DOS and OS/2. This problem was corrected in NMAKE version 1.2 for MS-DOS and OS/2.