FIX: Return Value Not Ignored with NMAKE's Dash (-) Command

 Last reviewed: September 18, 1997
Article ID: Q122220
1.50 1.51 | 1.00 2.00 
WINDOWS   | WINDOWS NT
kbtool kbfixlist

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility (NMAKE.EXE) supplied with: 

        - Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.5 and 1.51
    - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Edition, version 1.0 and 2.0

SYMPTOMS

When using the dash command (-) in a makefile to turn off error checking for a given command, return values that are greater than 255 will not be ignored. NMAKE will detect an error and the make process will be terminated, as shown below: 

   NMAKE : fatal error U1077: 'C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CMD.EXE' : return
   code '0xYYY'
   Stop.
YYY is the hexadecimal value of the return code from the command that generated the error.

RESOLUTION

Use the !CMDSWITCHES (+/-) I directive to work around this problem. For example: 

   !CMDSWITCHES +I
   mylabel:
        mycommand
   !CMDSWITCHES -I

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was fixed in Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Edition, version 4.0.

MORE INFORMATION

Sample Code

The following makefile will prematurely terminate after the mycommand statement if an error MYCOMMAND.EXE returns is a value greater that 255. A small MS-DOS- or Windows NT-based console program returning a value can be used as mycommand.

mylabel: 

     -mycommand

Additional reference words: 1.50 1.51 1.00 2.00 buglist1.50 buglist1.51
buglist1.00 buglist2.00
KBCategory: kbtool kbfixlist kbbuglist
KBSubCategory: NmakeIss
Keywords : kbbuglist kbfixlist kbtool
Version : 1.50 1.51 | 1.00 2.00
Platform : NT WINDOWS
Solution Type : kbfix

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Last reviewed: September 18, 1997
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