LNK1117: syntax error in option 'VERSION:.' with qmake

Question

On Qt5 project using Microsoft compiler, the qmake .pro project file have

DATE = $$system(wmic os get LocalDateTime > $$OUT_PWD/wmic.txt)
DATE = $$cat($$OUT_PWD/wmic.txt)
DATE = $$split(DATE, ' ')
DATE = $$member(DATE, 1)
DATE = $$split(DATE, .)
DATE = $$member(DATE, 0)

DATE = $$str_member($$DATE, 0, 7)
message($${DATE})
# DATE = 20220506 # comment this line will led to error LNK1117
message($${DATE})

 YEAR = $$str_member($$DATE, 0, 3)
MONTH = $$str_member($$DATE, 4, 5)

VERSION = $${YEAR}.$${MONTH}
message($$VERSION)
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The DATE = 20220506 is supposed to have same value as logic above it will set. However if I comment that line it will led to error error LNK1117.

What am I missing?

I'm about to conclude VERSION is read at an early stage when DATE is not ready yet. In this case, how can I make DATE to be computed earlier?

Here is what I see in the QtCreator terminal:

20:03:54: Running steps for project project...
20:03:54: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" clean
    C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe -f Makefile.Debug clean
    del debug\moc_predefs.h
    del debug\moc_widget.cpp
    del debug\main.obj debug\widget.obj debug\moc_widget.obj
    del debug\project.vc.pdb debug\project.ilk debug\project.idb
    del debug\project_resource.res
    C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe -f Makefile.Release clean
    del release\moc_predefs.h
    del release\moc_widget.cpp
    del release\main.obj release\widget.obj release\moc_widget.obj
    del release\project_resource.res
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\release\moc_predefs.h
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\release\moc_widget.cpp
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\release\main.obj
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\release\project_resource.res
    del project.vc.pdb
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\project.vc.pdb
    del project.ilk
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\project.ilk
    del project.idb
Could Not Find C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\project.idb
20:03:54: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" exited normally.
20:03:54: Starting: "C:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\bin\qmake.exe" C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\project.pro -spec win32-msvc "CONFIG+=debug" "CONFIG+=qml_debug"
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:24: message(message) requires one argument.
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:26: message(message) requires one argument.
Project MESSAGE: .
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:24: message(message) requires one argument.
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:26: message(message) requires one argument.
Project MESSAGE: .
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:24: message(message) requires one argument.
C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/project.pro:26: message(message) requires one argument.
Project MESSAGE: .
20:03:54: The process "C:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\bin\qmake.exe" exited normally.
20:03:54: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" -f C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/_x64d/Makefile qmake_all

jom 1.1.3 - empower your cores

20:03:54: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" exited normally.
20:03:54: Starting: "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" 
    C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe -f Makefile.Debug
    cl -c -nologo -Zc:wchar_t -FS -Zc:rvalueCast -Zc:inline -Zc:strictStrings -Zc:throwingNew -Zc:referenceBinding -Zc:__cplusplus -Zi -MDd -std:c++17 -W3 -w34100 -w34189 -w44996 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458 -wd4577 -wd4467 -EHsc /Fddebug\project.vc.pdb -DUNICODE -D_UNICODE -DWIN32 -D_ENABLE_EXTENDED_ALIGNED_STORAGE -DWIN64 -DQT_QML_DEBUG -DQT_WIDGETS_LIB -DQT_GUI_LIB -DQT_CORE_LIB -I..\..\project -I. -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtWidgets -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtGui -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtANGLE -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtCore -Idebug -I/include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\mkspecs\win32-msvc -Fodebug\ @C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\main.obj.125924.0.jom
main.cpp
    rc /NOLOGO -D_DEBUG -DUNICODE -D_UNICODE -DWIN32 -D_ENABLE_EXTENDED_ALIGNED_STORAGE -DWIN64 -DQT_QML_DEBUG -DQT_WIDGETS_LIB -DQT_GUI_LIB -DQT_CORE_LIB -fo debug\project_resource.res project_resource.rc
    cl -BxC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\bin\qmake.exe -nologo -Zc:wchar_t -FS -Zc:rvalueCast -Zc:inline -Zc:strictStrings -Zc:throwingNew -Zc:referenceBinding -Zc:__cplusplus -Zi -MDd -std:c++17 -W3 -w34100 -w34189 -w44996 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458 -wd4577 -wd4467 -E C:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\mkspecs\features\data\dummy.cpp 2>NUL >debug\moc_predefs.h
    C:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\bin\moc.exe -DUNICODE -D_UNICODE -DWIN32 -D_ENABLE_EXTENDED_ALIGNED_STORAGE -DWIN64 -DQT_QML_DEBUG -DQT_WIDGETS_LIB -DQT_GUI_LIB -DQT_CORE_LIB --compiler-flavor=msvc --include C:/Users/user/QtProjects/project/_x64d/debug/moc_predefs.h -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/mkspecs/win32-msvc -IC:/Users/user/QtProjects/project -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/include -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/include/QtWidgets -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/include/QtGui -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/include/QtANGLE -IC:/Qt/5.15.2/msvc2019_64/include/QtCore -I. -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Professional\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.28.29910\ATLMFC\include" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Professional\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.28.29910\include" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\include\10.0.19041.0\ucrt" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\include\10.0.19041.0\shared" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\include\10.0.19041.0\um" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\include\10.0.19041.0\winrt" -I"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\include\10.0.19041.0\cppwinrt" ..\widget.h -o debug\moc_widget.cpp
    cl -c -nologo -Zc:wchar_t -FS -Zc:rvalueCast -Zc:inline -Zc:strictStrings -Zc:throwingNew -Zc:referenceBinding -Zc:__cplusplus -Zi -MDd -std:c++17 -W3 -w34100 -w34189 -w44996 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458 -wd4577 -wd4467 -EHsc /Fddebug\project.vc.pdb -DUNICODE -D_UNICODE -DWIN32 -D_ENABLE_EXTENDED_ALIGNED_STORAGE -DWIN64 -DQT_QML_DEBUG -DQT_WIDGETS_LIB -DQT_GUI_LIB -DQT_CORE_LIB -I..\..\project -I. -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtWidgets -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtGui -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtANGLE -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtCore -Idebug -I/include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\mkspecs\win32-msvc -Fodebug\ @C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\widget.obj.125924.0.jom
widget.cpp
    cl -c -nologo -Zc:wchar_t -FS -Zc:rvalueCast -Zc:inline -Zc:strictStrings -Zc:throwingNew -Zc:referenceBinding -Zc:__cplusplus -Zi -MDd -std:c++17 -W3 -w34100 -w34189 -w44996 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458 -wd4577 -wd4467 -EHsc /Fddebug\project.vc.pdb -DUNICODE -D_UNICODE -DWIN32 -D_ENABLE_EXTENDED_ALIGNED_STORAGE -DWIN64 -DQT_QML_DEBUG -DQT_WIDGETS_LIB -DQT_GUI_LIB -DQT_CORE_LIB -I..\..\project -I. -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtWidgets -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtGui -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtANGLE -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\include\QtCore -Idebug -I/include -IC:\Qt\5.15.2\msvc2019_64\mkspecs\win32-msvc -Fodebug\ @C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\moc_widget.obj.125924.265.jom
moc_widget.cpp
    link /NOLOGO /DYNAMICBASE /NXCOMPAT /DEBUG /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS "/MANIFESTDEPENDENCY:type='win32' name='Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls' version='6.0.0.0' publicKeyToken='6595b64144ccf1df' language='*' processorArchitecture='*'" /VERSION:. /MANIFEST:embed /OUT:debug\project.exe @C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\project.exe.125924.1109.jom
LINK : fatal error LNK1117: syntax error in option 'VERSION:.'
jom: C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\Makefile.Debug [debug\project.exe] Error 1117
jom: C:\Users\user\QtProjects\project\_x64d\Makefile [debug] Error 2
20:03:55: The process "C:\Qt\Tools\QtCreator\bin\jom\jom.exe" exited with code 2.
Error while building/deploying project project (kit: Desktop Qt 5.15.2 MSVC2019 64bit)
When executing step "Make"
20:03:55: Elapsed time: 00:02.
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