Re: [cdt-dev] Using nmake with managed builds

[vladchuk <vladchuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Alex Chapiro wrote:

> I'm using cygwin make and WinXP for testing, i.e. exactly the case we 
> discussed. It successfully accepts command line longer than 16K. I 
> guess the limit is 32K (I just was lazy to test it), which is, I 
> suppose, much more than any reasonable requirement. What I'm saying, 
> there is no problem of command line length limitation with GNU make on 
> Windows environment. It still maybe exists for nmake.
>
> Recoskie, Chris wrote:
>
> > Yes, but of course YMMV depending on what make utility and OS you are
> > using.
> >
> > You might find this tidbit I culled from the web interesting
> >
> > (http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2003/12/10/56028.aspx)
> >
> > What is the command line length limit?
> > It depends on whom you ask.
> > The maximum command line length for the CreateProcess function is 32767
> > characters. This limitation comes from the UNICODE_STRING structure.
> > CreateProcess is the core function for creating processes, so if you are
> > talking directly to Win32, then that's the only limit you have to worry
> > about. But if you are reaching CreateProcess by some other means, then
> > the path you travel through may have other limits.
> > If you are using the CMD.EXE command processor, then you are also
> > subject to the 8192 character command line length limit imposed by
> > CMD.EXE.
> > If you are using the ShellExecute/Ex function, then you become subject
> > to the INTERNET_MAX_URL_LENGTH (around 2048) command line length limit
> > imposed by the ShellExecute/Ex functions. (If you are running on Windows
> > 95, then the limit is only MAX_PATH.)
> > While I'm here, I may as well mention another limit: The maximum size of
> > your environment is 32767 characters. The size of the environment
> > includes the all the variable names plus all the values.
> > Okay, but what if you want to pass more than 32767 characters of
> > information to a process? You'll have to find something other than the
> > command line. We'll discuss some options tomorrow.
> >
> > ___________________________________________
> >
> > Chris Recoskie
> > Software Designer
> > Texas Instruments, Toronto
> > http://eclipse.org/cdt
> >
> >
> >
> >  
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> > >   
> >
> > On
> >  
> >
> > > Behalf Of Alex Chapiro
> > > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 2:30 PM
> > > To: CDT General developers list.
> > > Subject: Re: [cdt-dev] Using nmake with managed builds
> > >
> > > I included the following command into make file (WinXP) :
> > >
> > > gcc -c -D$(TTTTT) myFile.c
> > >
> > > where TTTTT contained 7000 characters and  launched it. File myFile.c
> > > was successfully compiled. Are you talking about this command line?
> > >
> > > Recoskie, Chris wrote:
> > >
> > >   
> > >
> > > > Like Mikhail says, the make utility (whether it's GNU make, nmake,
> > > >     
> > any
> >  
> >
> > > > make-alike will do) issues the commands via the OS shell.  The OS (in
> > > > this case, windows) will generally have a limitation on the length of
> > > >     
> > a
> >  
> >
> > > > command.
> > > >
> > > > Make and nmake themselves don't limit the length to my knowledge, but
> > > > when they try to invoke the command via the shell, it fails due to
> > > >     
> > the
> >  
> >
> > > > length issue.
> > > >
> > > > ___________________________________________
> > > >
> > > > Chris Recoskie
> > > > Software Designer
> > > > Texas Instruments, Toronto
> > > > http://eclipse.org/cdt
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > >       
> > [mailto:cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> >  
> >
> > > > >       
> > > >
> > > > On
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > Behalf Of Alex Chapiro
> > > > > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 1:52 PM
> > > > > To: CDT General developers list.
> > > > > Subject: Re: [cdt-dev] Using nmake with managed builds
> > > > >
> > > > > If you are talking about make command line, you can for example
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >       
> > > >
> > > > instead
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > of generating long command line , create temporary make file, fill
> > > > >       
> > it
> >  
> >
> > > > > with your command line arguments and add include Makefile at the end
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >       
> > > >
> > > > of
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > it, then launch make --file=<tempFile>, then remove <tempFile>. If
> > > > >       
> > you
> >  
> >
> > > > > are taking about length limitation of commands in make file, I don't
> > > > > know about it. Does it really exist?
> > > > >
> > > > > Sennikovsky, Mikhail wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >       
> > > > >
> > > > > > Hi,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Cygwin make has also command length limitation, that actually has
> > > > > >         
> > to
> >  
> >
> > > > > >         
> > > > do
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > > with the command length limitation on windows in general.
> > > > > > Please see the bugzilla# 72965 related to this.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > > Mikhail
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > > From: cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >         
> > > > [mailto:cdt-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > > On Behalf Of vladchuk@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 9:32 PM
> > > > > > To: Cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > > Subject: [cdt-dev] Using nmake with managed builds
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Apparently, nmake  has a makefile command length limitation (is it
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >         
> > > > 1024
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > > >
> > > > > > chars?) so it is  impossible to use it with anything but trivial
> > > > > > projects.
> > > > > > Does anybody know  how toget around this problem?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > > vladchuk
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > cdt-dev mailing list
> > > > > > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > cdt-dev mailing list
> > > > > > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >         
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > cdt-dev mailing list
> > > > > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >       
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > cdt-dev mailing list
> > > > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >     
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > cdt-dev mailing list
> > > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> > >   
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > cdt-dev mailing list
> > cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
> >
> >  
> _______________________________________________
> cdt-dev mailing list
> cdt-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/cdt-dev
Well, after reading all the responses and doing some investigation of my 
own it indeed appears that 8K (CMD shell limit) all we can get when 
using nmake.
The solution is then (also suggested by Microsoft) to keep the paths as 
short as possible. I don't suppose it is possible to use any other shell 
with nmake.

I wonder how MS gets around their own limitations when using nmake on 
large projects?

vladchuk