# Escape ; in ExternalProject\_Add()

**URL:** <https://discourse.cmake.org/t/escape-in-externalproject-add/15334>\
**Category:** Code\
**Created:** [November 20, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/escape-in-externalproject-add/15334 "2025-11-20T16:55:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pedahl](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/pedahl/32/3307_2.png) [@pedahl](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/pedahl)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/escape-in-externalproject-add/15334/1 "2025-11-20T16:55:14Z")

</div>

Hi i need to escape “;” on an argument in ExternalProject\_Add()  
ExternalProject\_Add( ${PROJECT\_NAME}  
SOURCE\_DIR  
“${\_myApp\_src\_path}”  
CONFIGURE\_COMMAND  
“”  
BUILD\_COMMAND  
${MSBUILD\_EXE} ${\_myApp\_project\_file\_path}  
/t:Build  
/p:Configuration=${CMAKE\_BUILD\_TYPE};Platform=${MSBUILD\_PLATFORM};OutDir=${\_myapp\_out\_dir};BUILD\_PROPS\_PATH=${MSBUILD\_PROPS\_PATH}  
INSTALL\_COMMAND “”  
)  
When i start compiling it i get the following wrong Argument list:  
msbuild,exe c:/myApp/myApp.vcxproj  
/t:Build/p:Configuration=Debug Platform=x64 OutDir=c:/myapp\_out/ BUILD\_PROPS\_PATH=c:/myapp\_props  
Instead of printing “;” it prints a space.  
How can i solve it?  
Bests