Makefile: How to assign a command's output and exit code to a variable?

Question

I am searching for a way to get the output and the exit code of a command to variables in a makefile.

Basicly I want this: (bash)

Answer 1

If you are going to use eval anyway, make it print things you can eval directly.

$(eval $(shell echo OUTPUT_RC=`whoami`; echo $$?))
OUTPUT=$(word 1,$(OUTPUT_RC))
RC=$(word 2,$(OUTPUT_RC))

Answer 2

GNU make offers the shell function, as in:

OUTPUT=$(shell whoami)
OUTPUT_RC=$(shell whoami; echo $$?)