diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/misc/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtilTest.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/misc/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtilTest.java
index 4e4664857bb..f8b5e334a83 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/misc/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtilTest.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core.tests/misc/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtilTest.java
@@ -9,17 +9,22 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
     public static Test suite() {
         return new TestSuite(CommandLineUtilTest.class);
     }
+	
+    private String[] parse(String line) {
+		return CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray(line);
+	}
+	
 	public void testArgumentsToArraySimple() {
-		// [A=B C]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("A=B C");
+		String[] args = parse("A=B C");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("A=B", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("C", args[1]);
 	}
 
+
 	public void testArgumentsToArraySpaces() {
 		// [A=B    C]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("A=B    C");
+		String[] args = parse("A=B    C");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("A=B", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("C", args[1]);
@@ -27,7 +32,7 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArraySpaces2() {
 		// [  A=B    C ]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("  A=B    C ");
+		String[] args = parse("  A=B    C ");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("A=B", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("C", args[1]);
@@ -35,56 +40,56 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayDoubleQuotes() {
 		// [Arg="a b c"]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("Arg=\"a b c\"");
+		String[] args = parse("Arg=\"a b c\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("Arg=a b c", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayDoubleQuotes2() {
 		// [Arg="\"quoted\""]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("Arg=\"\\\"quoted\\\"\"");
+		String[] args = parse("Arg=\"\\\"quoted\\\"\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("Arg=\"quoted\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArraySingleQuotes() {
 		// [Arg='"quoted"']
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("Arg='\"quoted\"'");
+		String[] args = parse("Arg='\"quoted\"'");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("Arg=\"quoted\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayQuote() {
 		// [\"]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("\\\"");
+		String[] args = parse("\\\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayQuotSpaces() {
 		// [  \"]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("  \\\"");
+		String[] args = parse("  \\\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayOnlySpaces() {
 		// ["   "]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("\"   \"");
+		String[] args = parse("\"   \"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("   ", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayJumbledString() {
 		// ["a b"-c]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("\"a b\"-c");
+		String[] args = parse("\"a b\"-c");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("a b-c", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayJumbledString2() {
 		// [x "a b"-c]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray(" x  \"a b\"-c");
+		String[] args = parse(" x  \"a b\"-c");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("x", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("a b-c", args[1]);
@@ -92,7 +97,7 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayJumbledSQ() {
 		// [x' 'x y]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("x' 'x y");
+		String[] args = parse("x' 'x y");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("x x", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("y", args[1]);
@@ -100,21 +105,21 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayEmptyString() {
 		// [""]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("\"\"");
+		String[] args = parse("\"\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayEmptyString2() {
 		// ['']
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("''");
+		String[] args = parse("''");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayEmpty3() {
 		// ['' a]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("'' a");
+		String[] args = parse("'' a");
 		assertEquals(2, args.length);
 		assertEquals("", args[0]);
 		assertEquals("a", args[1]);
@@ -122,31 +127,43 @@ public class CommandLineUtilTest extends TestCase {
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayQuot1() {
 		// ['"']
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("'\"'");
+		String[] args = parse("'\"'");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayQuot2() {
 		// ["\""]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("\"\\\"\"");
+		String[] args = parse("\"\\\"\"");
 		assertEquals(1, args.length);
 		assertEquals("\"", args[0]);
 	}
 
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayNull() {
 		// []
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray(null);
+		String[] args = parse(null);
 		assertEquals(0, args.length);
 	}
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayEmpty() {
 		// []
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("");
+		String[] args = parse("");
 		assertEquals(0, args.length);
 	}
 	public void testArgumentsToArrayEmptySpaces() {
 		// [   ]
-		String[] args = CommandLineUtil.argumentsToArray("   ");
+		String[] args = parse("   ");
 		assertEquals(0, args.length);
 	}
+	public void testArgumentsToArrayTabs() {
+		// [a	b]
+		String[] args = parse("a \tb");
+		assertEquals(2, args.length);
+		assertEquals("a", args[0]);
+	}
+	public void testArgumentsToArrayNL() {
+		// ["a\nb"]
+		String[] args = parse("\"a\\nb\"");
+		assertEquals(1, args.length);
+		assertEquals("a\nb", args[0]);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/utils/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtil.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/utils/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtil.java
index 1f940502795..1d400afcb4f 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/utils/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtil.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.core/utils/org/eclipse/cdt/utils/CommandLineUtil.java
@@ -39,32 +39,34 @@ public class CommandLineUtil {
 		int state = INITIAL;
 		for (int i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
 			char c = array[i];
+
 			switch (state) {
 				case IN_ARG:
 					// fall through
 				case INITIAL:
-					switch (c) {
-						case ' ':
-							if (state == INITIAL) break; // ignore extra spaces
-							// add argument
-							state = INITIAL;
-							String arg = buffer.toString();
-							buffer = new StringBuilder();
-							aList.add(arg);
-							break;
-						case '\\':
-							state = ESCAPED;
-							break;
-						case '\'':
-							state = IN_SINGLE_QUOTES;
-							break;
-						case '\"':
-							state = IN_DOUBLE_QUOTES;
-							break;
-						default:
-							state = IN_ARG;
-							buffer.append(c);
-							break;
+					if (Character.isWhitespace(c)) {
+						if (state == INITIAL) break; // ignore extra spaces
+						// add argument
+						state = INITIAL;
+						String arg = buffer.toString();
+						buffer = new StringBuilder();
+						aList.add(arg);
+					} else {
+						switch (c) {
+							case '\\':
+								state = ESCAPED;
+								break;
+							case '\'':
+								state = IN_SINGLE_QUOTES;
+								break;
+							case '\"':
+								state = IN_DOUBLE_QUOTES;
+								break;
+							default:
+								state = IN_ARG;
+								buffer.append(c);
+								break;
+						}
 					}
 					break;
 				case IN_DOUBLE_QUOTES:
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ public class CommandLineUtil {
 							buffer.append(c);
 							break;
 						case 'n':
-							buffer.append('\n');
+							buffer.append("\n"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 							break;
 						default:
 							buffer.append('\\');
@@ -118,5 +120,4 @@ public class CommandLineUtil {
 		}
 		return aList.toArray(new String[aList.size()]);
 	}
-
 }