Re: M4 String Functions + Macro Expansion

[Akim Demaille]

>>> "Noah" == Noah Misch <address@hidden> writes:

 > I hope I have missed a general solution.  Ideas?

Fix m4.  It has fundamental flaws from its inception:

- text processing builtins (regexp etc.) should return quoted strings,
  they do not.

- eval should do what it does it almost all the other interpreted
  language: take the argument and do as if it were evaluated by the
  top level (including side effects).  Of course, as a builtin, it
  should return its result *quoted*.

- We need to manipulate all the characters, including the quotes.  We
  need a buitin escaping feature, not the quadrigraphs.

We have none today, we're sc*ed.