whitespaces in filenames [was: bug in $(wildcard) on Windows?]

[Fabio Alemagna]

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 08:50:33 -0500, Paul D. Smith <address@hidden> wrote:
> The short answer is that GNU make doesn't support filenames with spaces
> in them.
> 
> The slightly longer answer is that GNU make uses whitespace as a word
> delimiter, and there is NO reliable way to quote whitespace in words in
> all the different places where make chops up lists.

Sorry to reopen an old discussion, but I've come across this very same
issue, that is I need make to handle filenames with spaces in them
correctly.

Couldn't it be done so that instead of using spaces, as word
delimiters, make used NUL chars?

Let me explain. There could be another assignment operator, say /= or
something else, which instructed make to transform something like
this:

    foo\ bar\ baz hola

or like this:
   
   "foo bar baz" hola

into

    foo bar baz<NUL>hola

The variable would have a special bit set so that the various
functions working on lists would know that they need to look for a NUL
char rather than for a space in order to delimit words.

Is there anything that doesn't wouldn't make this a viable option? 

Regards,
Fabio Alemagna