RE: Help with GNUMAKE on PC platform - command line lenghtlimitations

[David Stubbs]

I believe there is still a command line length limit on Windows XP, but
it is significantly higher than that on Windows 2000 and the other
variants. 

I found the best approach was to bypass the command line completely and
construct a call to CreateProcess().

Dave Stubbs.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: address@hidden [mailto:make-w32-
> address@hidden On Behalf Of Ron.E.Gaskins
> Sent: 31 July 2003 14:26
> To: Eli Zaretskii
> Cc: address@hidden
> Subject: RE: Help with GNUMAKE on PC platform - command line
> lenghtlimitations
> 
> Background:
> GNUMAKE 3.80 on a Windows 2000 platform built with MSVC.
> 
> 
> Experiment to determine size of command buffer:
> Have not determined exact size yet but appears to be around 2K.  The
> attached (results1.txt) captures an experiment to erase multiple
files.
> While the command line is lengthy, it does not approach the 6K
boundary
> indicated in previous e-mail.
> 
>  <<results1.txt>>
> 
> Problems with $(EVAL):
> Assume a legacy application, APPX, that accepts one filename as an
> argument.  I need GNUMAKE to call APPX for each file in $(FILES).  If
I
> solve this problem I also have resolution to the above problem of
command
> line too long for the erasing of multiple files.  It appears that the
> $(EVAL) is just what I need to do the job.  However, the syntax rules
do
> not agree with my documentation.  Is the following correct?
> 
> $(foreach FILE, $(FILES), $(eval echo))
> 
> The above results in "missing separator" error.  Is there a better
> solution?  Please advise.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From:         Eli Zaretskii [mailto:address@hidden
> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 1:01 AM
> To:   Gaskins, Ron E
> Cc:   address@hidden
> Subject:      Re: Help with GNUMAKE on PC platform - command line
lenght
> limitations
> 
> > Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 09:50:01 -0500
> > From: "Ron.E.Gaskins" <address@hidden>
> >
> > >What version of Windows is that?  I think all modern Windows
versions
> allow much longer command lines.
> >
> > Windows 2000.  If I bring up a command window and start typing the
> buffer fills up around 2K characters and ignores the keyboard.
> 
> That's a different matter: the size of the shell's keyboard input
> buffer has very little to do with the maximum length of command lines
> it can accept from another program.
> 
> So please try invoking, say, the ECHO command (or some other harmless
> Windows program) from within Make with long command lines, and see
> what maximum length of commands you can use there.
> 
> > What about the GNUMAKE $(eval) command?  It seems to be exactly what
I
> need but it is not completely documented and when I attempt to use it
I
> always get a "missing separator" error.  Any thoughts about $(eval)?
> 
> What did you try, exactly, and what did Make complain about?
> 
> Btw, please don't remove the mailing list from the CC: header, as
> others could chime into this thread.
> 
>