nmake - how to force echo command to output the tab character?

Question

Hi

How to force echo command to output a tab character in MS nmake makefile? Verbatim tabs inserted right into a string after echo command are removed by nmake and don't show up in the output file.

all :
    @echo I WANT TO OUTPUT THE <TAB> CHARACTER HERE! > output.txt

Answer 1

As a workaround, you can create a file containing the tab character, named input.txt (not using nmake), and then say:

all :
    @copy /b input.txt output.txt

Answer 2

I assume you already have tried to put the tab inside quotes?

all:
    @echo "<TAB>" > output.txt