an escape_quotes function to escape single quotes.
# This allows us to handle quotes properly as long as we always use
# use single quotes and escape_quotes.
escape_quotes = $(subst ','\'',$(1))
# This comment is here just to include a ' to unconfuse syntax highlighting.
# Define an escape_vars function to escape '$' variable syntax.
# This allows us to read/write command lines with shell variables (e.g.
# $LD_LIBRARY_PATH), without triggering make substitution.
escape_vars = $(subst $$,$$$$,$(1))
# Helper that expands to a shell command to echo a string exactly as it is in
# make. This uses printf instead of echo because printf's behaviour with respect
# to escape sequences is more portable than echo's across different shells
# (e.g., dash, bash).
exact_echo = printf '%%s\n' '$(call escape_quotes,$(1))'

# Helper to compare the command we're about to run against the command
# we logged the last time we ran the command.  Produces an empty
# string (false) when the commands match.
# Tricky point: Make has no string-equality test function.
# The kernel uses the following, but it seems like it would have false
# positives, where one string reordered its arguments.
#   arg_check = $(strip $(filter-out $(cmd_$(1)), $(cmd_$@)) \
#                       $(filter-out $(cmd_$@), $(cmd_$(1))))
# We instead substitute each for the empty string into the other, and
# say they're equal if both substitutions produce the empty string.
# .d files contain aa