clarification the export VAR := VALUE

[Warren Dodge]

I am not sure if this is a bug report or an enhancement request. 


If I do the following Makefile

#############################################################################
export TESTVAR := TEST

$(shell xterm )

xterm:
        xterm
#############################################################################

Then do

make xterm


The $(shell xterm) does not have the TESTVAR variable set but the target
xterm has it set.

I would have expected the shell xterm to also have the exported
variable. Not sure if this is intentional or just never discovered.

Maybe a new $(shell ) command that does something like this that
automatically adds all the exported variables.

$(shellExport VAR1=val VAR2=val ... all exported variables   UserCommand )


If the exported variables are exported in $(shell) then we could add a
new variable and automatically use it in a script. Today it seems like
we would have to find all places the script is called in many places and
add the Var=Val.

We are using Make in a non-software type of project. So we are doing
some unusal things to make it work.