Hello Paul, Ok that will simplify the validation for a macro. This was just my hanger on from shell code where the distinction matters whether a variable is empty or undefined 😌 .
As for the $0 stuff, my intention was to generate a make code on the fly except for $0 (by doubling ..) & then having it eval-ed within the main function (tr-validate) where in the value on $0 can then be plugged in from there. I am not very clear about how make parses its code & then additonal layers of parsing done by eval. Would you please let me in on as to how make performs the above in the case of eval? Thanks, Rakesh Sharma > Subject: Re: Number of arguments, a. la $# in gnu make? > From: psm...@gnu.org > To: sharma...@hotmail.com > CC: help-make@gnu.org > Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 12:50:13 -0500 > > On Sat, 2014-02-15 at 09:17 -0800, Rakesh Sharma wrote: > > This is a template for a make-based "tr" macro which transliterates > > from listA to listB in the text. > > > > Before running "tr" I intend to run some validations on the arguments > > to "tr". The macro "-tr-validate" does that task and it is here that > > the number of arguments to a function's need was sorely felt. > > I'm not sure I see the point in showing different error messages for > "missing" vs. "empty" arguments. If you don't need to keep that > distinction then you have a much simpler result: just see if any of the > values you expect are the empty string. > > > Also in this macro is it possible to factor in the $0 in the exit-code > > macro itself, so that we dont need to specify it in the invocation of > > exit-code macro everytime.? I tried various alternatives using > > $(eval.... but nothing worked. > > I don't see any way it's possible. When you invoke call $0 is always > set to the current function. Once that's done it's not possible to > access the previous $0 from the "calling" function, inside the "called" > function. There's no facility in GNU make to access the "outer" value > of an overridden variable. > _______________________________________________ Help-make mailing list Help-make@gnu.org https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-make