# verbose output with NMake Makefiles and msvc

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974
**Category:** Usage
**Tags:** os:windows
**Created:** [November 28, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974 "2022-11-28T17:25:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![adaldev](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@adaldev](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/adaldev)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974/1 "2022-11-28T17:25:41Z")

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How must I write my cmake files in order to see the actual command line with cl compiler and nmake makefile (I’d like to check the used compilation and link options, as with make and CMAKE\_VERBOSE\_MAKEFILE ON)

Regards  
A.

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### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974/2 "2022-11-30T19:53:00Z")

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It looks like the NMake generator is a subclass of the “normal” Makefiles generator. The mechanism is that it sets a `VERBOSE` variable to `1`. This then affects a `MAKESILENT` variable and `.SILENT:` pseudo-target. My guess is that NMake has some other mechanism that isn’t covered here.

@brad.king?

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### Author: ![brad.king](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/brad.king/32/11_2.png) [@brad.king](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/brad.king)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974/3 "2022-12-01T16:59:04Z")

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One can run `nmake VERBOSE=1` to see the commands.

However, the NMake generator uses the `@<<` inline response file syntax, a feature of `nmake` to avoid exceeding its command-line length limits. Unfortunately it hides some of the command line arguments inside a temporary response file with no way to see them.

One may manually inspect the generated `CMakeFiles/*.dir/{build,flags}.make` files to see the flags.

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### Author: ![adaldev](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@adaldev](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/adaldev)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/verbose-output-with-nmake-makefiles-and-msvc/6974/4 "2022-12-05T16:59:35Z")

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OK, it’s a shame though  
Thanks anyway  
A.