PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1773
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS, WIN
DATE : January 25, 1994 PAGE : 1/4
TITLE : How to build DOS applications in Borland C++ 4.0
Borland C++ version 4.0 (BC4) expands programming power for DOS
developers by increasing the capabilities for the compiler,
linker, debugger, and browser. For example the Turbo Vision
libraries can now be rebuilt with full debug information, linked
into your TV application and debugged with Turbo Debugger (see
TI1752 for instructions on how to do this). Then if you like you
can Browse your TV application and print out the full class
hierarchy.
What this document will focus on is using the new Windows based
IDE for DOS development. It is a very simple process once you
discover where to tell the IDE you want to create DOS targets.
First lets build the infamous "Hello World" program to show how
to build a single source DOS application.
1. First double click on the BC++ icon and load the BC 4.0 IDE.
2. In the File menu select New for a empty edit window.
3. Now type in the following code for the "Hello World" program.
#include
#include
int main()
{
printf("Welcome DOS programmer's");
getch();
return 0;
}
4. Move the mouse cursor anywhere within the Edit window, and
click the right mouse button once. This activates the SpeedMenu
for the edit window, now double click on the "Target Expert". If
you don't have a mouse use Alt-F10 to display the SpeedMenu
then 'X' to activate the TargetExpert.
5. The Target Expert dialog contains a list box called
"Platform"
where you can select the target platform for your application.
Click the down-arrow next to the Platform field to see the plat-
forms supported. Move the highlight bar to "DOS Standard" and
press the Enter key to select DOS Standard. Now click the OK
PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1773
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS, WIN
DATE : January 25, 1994 PAGE : 2/4
TITLE : How to build DOS applications in Borland C++ 4.0
button to close the dialog and return to the edit window.
Like all Windows applications if you don't have a mouse the tab
key will cycle you through the different fields and buttons. In
list boxes, the up and down arrows scroll you through the list.
For toggle items like checkboxes the spacebar toggles whether
the item is on or off.
Then next we need to select a memory model. Below Platform is
the
Target Model list where you select the memory model for your
program. Like the Platform list, clicking the down-arrow will
open the list and up and down arrows will scroll though the
different models. Select Small model for our example.
The last item to set is the group of Standard Libraries check
boxes on the right hand side of the Target Expert. This list of
libraries changes according to the Target Type and Platform you
select. For our example the Runtime library is all we need. So
toggle off the BGI and Class Library. Now click the OK button to
confirm the new settings and return to the edit window.
That's all there is to do to let the IDE know you want to create
a DOS application. As you can tell, the Target Expert is
something you will have to set for every project, but it only
involves a couple clicks of the mouse.
6. In previous versions of BC the "Compile" menu is where you
would compile, build, or make your applications. With BC 4.0 the
"Project" menu is where those commands are located now. Go to
the
Project menu select Build All and make the "Hello" program.
7. Another change is that there is no longer a "Run" menu as
before. Now the commands that were in the "Run" menu have been
moved to the "Debug" menu. Enter the Debug menu and select the
"Run" command to execute the "Hello program.
8. BC 4.0's built-in debugger cannot debug DOS applications, but
the "Tool" menu is already setup for Turbo Debugger. In the
"Tool" menu, select Turbo Debugger and the IDE will launch the
DOS debugger and pass the name of your program to it.
PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1773
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS, WIN
DATE : January 25, 1994 PAGE : 3/4
TITLE : How to build DOS applications in Borland C++ 4.0
Building a DOS application that requires multiple files is very
similar to the process used in previous versions of BC. You will
create a new project and add your source files to the project.
The difference is that you set the Platform in the "New Project"
dialog. The "New Project" dialog has a "Platform" list the same
as the Target Expert when you created the Hello World example.
If
you decide to change your target after creating your project you
access the TargetExpert in a different manner than you did for a
single file. In the Project window single on the name of the
target, for example "hello [.exe]". Now click the right mouse to
bring up the SpeedMenu. On the SpeedMenu is TargetExpert.
Select
TargetExpert and everything after that is the same as you did
with a single file. If you don't have a mouse, the up and down
arrow keys will let you change the target name and Alt-F10 brings
up the SpeedMenu.
Another difference from previous versions of BC is how EasyWin is
activated. In previous versions if you used the Windows based
IDE
and wrote a simple DOS program like "Hello World" the compiler
would recognize it as a Non-Windows program and invoke EasyWin
putting a window around your program for you. Since BC4's IDE
can create both DOS and Windows applications you now have to tell
the IDE you want to create an EasyWin application. This again is
done with the TargetExpert except this time the Platform is
Windows 3.x (16). Then in the list of Target Types select
EasyWin[.exe].
The main things you will have to adjust to from previous versions
of BC are selecting your target and learning the new menu system.
Since BC 4 uses a Windows IDE, it brings you the advantage of
running multiple tasks at one time. For example while writing
this note I had my editor, BC 4.0, and Turbo Debugger all active
simultaneously. Having all your favorite tools loaded and just
an
Alt-Tab away will help speed your development process.
Once you become more comfortable with the Project Manager you can
build projects that create both DOS and Windows executables.
Since these days most projects have to support both DOS and
Windows the Project Manager can help you maintain both targets in
PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 1773
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS, WIN
DATE : January 25, 1994 PAGE : 4/4
TITLE : How to build DOS applications in Borland C++ 4.0
one project file. What you will do is create a second target,
then set each target for the appropriate platform. Then create a
Source Pool for the code that is common to both targets. Finally
add the code specific to each platform to the proper target.
Once
configured, you can maintain your common and specific code
and build your DOS or Windows target as necessary. In the
\BC4\EXAMPLES\IDE\SRCPOOL directory is a example project
illustrating how to build a multi-target project with a source
pool.
Additionally the new IDE will automatically convert your old
projects file (.PRJ) to the new .IDE file format and will set the
Target Expert for you during the conversion. Once you are
familiar with the TargetExpert and task switching in Windows you
will find the new IDE more powerful than the previous DOS IDE.
For more information on the Project Manager, TargetExpert, and
Source Pools, see Chapter Two of the Users Guide.
DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information
subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that
you received with the Borland product to which this information
pertains.