Re: awk comands inside m4 macros

[Keith Marshall]

On Saturday 16 July 2005 12:24 pm, Chris Coleman wrote:
> WANT_BOOST_MAJOR=`echo $boost_min_version | $AWK -F. '{print $1}'`
> echo $WANT_BOOST_MAJOR
>
> $1 => 1.320
> $2 => 1.32.0
> $3 => gives the below error:
> awk: syntax error at source line 1
>  context is
>         {print >>>  { <<<
> awk: illegal statement at source line 1
> awk: syntax error at source line 2
>
> What have I missed when transfering a command from the comand line, into
> my configure scripts like this?

WANT_BOOST_MAJOR=`echo $boost_min_version | $AWK -F. '{print $[1]}'`

m4 sees $1 as a macro argument, and tries to expand it -- you need to 
separate the `$' and the `1', with quoting, to get `$1' passed through to 
configure unscathed.  Same applies to any of `$0'..`$9'. 

Alternatively, if depth of quoting becomes an issue, you may need the 
address@hidden|@' 
quadrigraph, in place of the `$'.

HTH.

Keith.