Article: Q61808
Version(s): 1.11   | 1.11
Operating System: MS-DOS | OS/2
Flags: ENDUSER | buglist1.11
Last Modified: 6-FEB-1991

Applying the "!" (exclamation point) operator to the beginning of a
command line using the macro "$?" should cause the command to be
executed once for every out-of-date dependent file. (This is
documented on Page 108 of the "Advanced Programming Techniques" manual
included with the Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler version 6.00.)

This feature works correctly in NMAKE version 1.00, but does not work
as expected in version 1.11. NMAKE version 1.11 is included with the
Microsoft C Compiler version 6.00.

In version 1.11 of NMAKE, the $? macro evaluates to the list of every
dependent, regardless of whether it is out of date or not. This is not
the correct behavior.

To re-create this problem, save the following lines to a file called
MAKEFILE:

   new.lib: a.obj b.obj c.obj
       !lib $@-+$?;

Assuming that only a.obj is out-of-date with respect to new.lib, the
following will be produced upon running NMAKE:

1. NMAKE 1.00:

      lib new.lib-+a.obj;

2. NMAKE 1.11:

      lib new.lib-+a.obj
      lib new.lib-+b.obj
      lib new.lib-+c.obj

Example 1 above shows the correct function of the $? macro.

Fortunately, the problem above is easy to fix.  NMAKE performs
correctly if two colons (::) are placed after the target new.lib on
the dependency line.  The NMAKE file has been re-written below so that
the $? macro will work with NMAKE 1.11.

MODIFIED NMAKE FILE
-------------------
new.lib::a.obj b.obj c.obj
   !lib $@-+$?;

The use of the two colons on the dependency line is described on page
109 of the Advanced Programming Techniques manual included with the
Microsoft C compiler version 6.00.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem with NMAKE version 1.11.
The problem has been resolved with later versions of NMAKE.