File: autoconf.info,  Node: M4 Quotation,  Next: Using autom4te,  Up: Programming in M4

8.1 M4 Quotation
================

The most common problem with existing macros is an improper quotation.
This section, which users of Autoconf can skip, but which macro writers
_must_ read, first justifies the quotation scheme that was chosen for
Autoconf and then ends with a rule of thumb.  Understanding the former
helps one to follow the latter.

* Menu:

* Active Characters::           Characters that change the behavior of M4
* One Macro Call::              Quotation and one macro call
* Quoting and Parameters::      M4 vs. shell parameters
* Quotation and Nested Macros::  Macros calling macros
* Changequote is Evil::         Worse than INTERCAL: M4 + changequote
* Quadrigraphs::                Another way to escape special characters
* Balancing Parentheses::       Dealing with unbalanced parentheses
* Quotation Rule Of Thumb::     One parenthesis, one quote