toplev.cc compile failure - configure issue?

[Michael Ross]

I'm trying to build Octave 2.9.9 using the GCC 4.2 packages in  
MacPorts (formerly DarwinPorts). I'm on an Intel Mac.

I keep hitting the following error with toplev.cc

toplev.cc: In function 'octave_value_list Foctave_config_info(const  
octave_value_list&, int)':
toplev.cc:731: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:731: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:731: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:731: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:731: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:778: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:778: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:778: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:778: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
toplev.cc:778: error: unknown escape sequence: '\040'
make[2]: *** [toplev.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [src] Error 2
make: *** [all] Error 2

The first error comes at a line that reads

"DEFS", OCTAVE_CONF_DEFS,

and the second at

"UGLY_DEFS", OCTAVE_CONF_UGLY_DEFS,

The two constants are defined in oct-conf.h. Both contain substrings  
consisting of five backslashes ("\\\\\") followed by a space.

For example, the start of OCTAVE_CONF_DEFS:

#define OCTAVE_CONF_DEFS "-DPACKAGE_NAME=\\\\\ -DPACKAGE_TARNAME=\\\\ 
\ -DPACKAGE_VERSION=\\\\\ -DPACKAGE_STRING=\\\\\ -DPACKAGE_BUGREPORT=\ 
\\\\

It appears that the compiler is barfing on the final "\ " in each of  
these 5 backslash sequences.

This file was created by configure - any clues what is going on here?  
Do I need to define a few more options?

Thanks.

----
Michael Ross
address@hidden