BUG: VC++ Tools with Long File Name (LFN) Parameters Fail on NT

ID: Q191495

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 5.0, 6.0
on the following platforms: NT
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
Windows 2000

SYMPTOMS

On Windows NT, running a batch file tool from the Visual C++ Tools menu produces the following error message:

The name specified is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file

On the Tools menu, click Customize. Select the Tools tab on the Customize dialog box. Note that the arguments contain one or more parameters surrounded with quote (") characters.

This problem did not occur prior to installing a service pack for Visual Studio 97.

CAUSE

Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 1 modified the method used to launch tools. Since Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows NT support long file names (LFNs) that can contain spaces, the tool launcher now automatically adds quotes around Tool commands. If the tool command is a batch file, it then launches the command processor--Cmd.exe on Windows NT--with the quoted command and any arguments:

CMD.EXE /c "<command>" <arguments>

If a tool parameter might contain an LFN, you must place quotes around the argument: for example, "$(FileName)$(FileExt)". The resulting command launched from Visual C++ would look something like this:

CMD.EXE /c "mytool.cmd" "my LFN parameter"

The parameter parsing logic in CMD.EXE strips the first quote and the last, preserving those in the interior. It then attempts to load the following:

mytool.cmd"

That file name does not exist.

RESOLUTION

Following are some possible workarounds:

Use Cmd.exe as the command. In the argument field, type /C, the batch file name, and the arguments:
Command: CMD.EXE
Arguments: /C mytool.bat "my LFN parameter"
If the tool resides in an LFN path with a space, place quotes around it and also around the entire parameter string after the /C:
Arguments: /C ""my LFN path\mytool.bat" "my LFN parameter""

Do not put quotes in the tool's Arguments field.

Use an .exe file as the tool command rather than a batch file. The executable could launch an appropriate batch file with the arguments properly formatted.

NOTE: Visual Studio 6.0 solves the typical case by placing quotes around tools that have a space in their path. However, a problem can still occur if the tool meets this condition and also has quotes around any argument.

STATUS

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

MORE INFORMATION

If Cmd.exe has a /C or /K switch, it processes the remaining command line after the switch as a command. The following logic is used to process quote (") characters:

If all of the following conditions are met, then quote characters on the command line are kept:

No /S switch

Exactly two quote characters

No special characters between the two quote characters, where special is one of: &<>()@^|

One or more whitespace characters between the two quote characters

String between the two quote characters is the name of an executable file

Otherwise, if the first character is a quote, strip it and remove the last quote character on the command line as well. Any text after the last quote character is kept.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Use the following steps on a Windows NT workstation or server:

Create a simple batch file, Badquote.bat, containing one line:
```
      echo %1 
```

Open a CMD window that has Badquote.bat in its path. Here, C:\ is assumed for the path. Type the following commands to verify its operation:
C:>badquote "hello, world"
Output: "hello, world"

C:>"badquote" "hello, world"
Output: "hello, world"

C:>CMD /c badquote "hello, world"
Output: "hello, world"

At the command prompt, type the following:
C:>CMD /c "badquote" "hello, world"
Output: The name specified is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
Note the problem with CMD's parameter parsing.

C:>CMD /c ""badquote" "hello, world""
Output: "hello, world"
Note the workaround for proper parameter parsing.

From the Tools menu, click Customize and Tool. Create an entry named "Test LFNs":
Command: badquote
Arguments: "$(FileName)"
Don't forget the quotes. Keep 'Close window on exiting' unchecked.

Open a file. Make it the active window.

Click Tools, Test LFNs. The output will be as in step 3 above.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kberrmsg kbide kbWinOS2000 kbVC500bug kbVC600bug kbGrpDSTools
Version : winnt:3.5,3.51,4.0,5.0,6.0; :
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug