def argvquote(arg, force=True):
    """ Returns an argument quoted in such a way that that CommandLineToArgvW
    on Windows will return the argument string unchanged.
    This is the same thing Popen does when supplied with an list of arguments.
    Arguments in a command line should be separated by spaces; this
    function does not add these spaces. This implementation follows the
    suggestions outlined here:
    https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/twistylittlepassagesallalike/2011/04/23/everyone-quotes-command-line-arguments-the-wrong-way/
    """
    if not force and len(arg) != 0 and not any([c in arg for c in ' \t\n\v"']):
        return arg
    else:
        n_backslashes = 0
        cmdline = '"'
        for c in arg:
            if c == "\\":
                # first count the number of current backslashes
                n_backslashes += 1
                continue
            if c == '"':
                # Escape all backslashes and the following double quotation mark
                cmdline += (n_backslashes * 2 + 1) * "\\"
            else:
                # backslashes are not special here
                cmdline += n_backslashes * "\\"
            n_backslashes = 0
            cmdline += c
        # Escape all backslashes, but let the terminating
        # double quotation mark we add below be interpreted
        # as a metacharacter
        cmdline += +n_backslashes * 2 * "\\" + '"'
        return cmdline