Defining an executable application project
The Project painter for executable applications allows you
to streamline the generation of executable files and dynamic libraries.
When you build a project object, you specify the following components
of your application:
- Executable
file name - Which of the libraries you want to distribute as
dynamic libraries - Which PowerBuilder resource files (if any) should
be used to build the executable file and the dynamic libraries - Which build options you want to use in your project
- Which code generation options you want to use
- Version information for your application
If you do not use the Template Application Target wizard to
create a new application project, you need to define the project
using a Project wizard or by setting project properties in the Project
painter. After you have created a project, you might need to update
it later because your library list has changed or you want to change
your compilation options.
To define or modify an executable application
project:
-
Select the Application project icon on
the Project tab in the New dialog box to create a new application
project, or select File>Open to open an existing application
project.The Project painter workspace displays.
-
Specify or modify options as needed.
If you opened an existing project or a project
created using the wizard, the options already selected display in
the workspace. For information about each option, see “Executable application project
options”. -
When you have finished defining the project object,
save the object by selecting File>Save from the menu bar.PowerBuilder saves the project as an independent object in
the specified library. Like other objects, projects are displayed
in the System Tree and the Library painter.
Executable application project
options
Table 33-2 describes
each of the options you can specify in the Project painter for executable
applications. You can also specify most of these options in the Application
Project wizard.
| Option | What you specify | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Executable File Name | Specify a name for the executable. The name must have the extension EXE. If you do not want the executable saved to your current directory, click the Browse (…) button next to the box to navigate to a different directory. |
||
| Resource File Name | (Optional) Specify a PowerBuilder resource file (PBR) for your executable if you dynamically reference resources (such as bitmaps and icons) in your scripts and you want the resources included in the executable file instead of having to distribute the resources separately. You can type the name of a resource file in the box or click For more about PBRs, see “Distributing resources “. |
||
| Prompt for Overwrite | Select this if you want PowerBuilder to prompt you before overwriting files. PowerBuilder overwrites any files it creates when building your application. |
||
| New Visual Style Controls | Select this to add a manifest file to the application that specifies the appearance of the controls as an application resource. When a user runs the application on Windows XP with the Windows XP style for controls set in the control panel, all PowerBuilder windows, DataWindow controls that mirror standard Windows controls, and other controls, display with the new style. |
||
| Rebuild | Specify either Full or Incremental to indicate whether you want PowerBuilder to regenerate all objects in the application libraries before it creates the executable and dynamic libraries. If you choose Incremental, PowerBuilder regenerates only objects that have changed, and objects that reference any objects that have changed, since the last time you built your application. As a precaution, regenerate all objects before rebuilding |
||
| Machine Code | Select this if you want to generate compiled code instead of Pcode. For more information about compiled code and Pcode, see Application Techniques. Selecting Machine Code enables the other code generation options in |
||
| Trace Information | Select this if you want to create a trace file when you run your compiled code executable. You can use the trace file to troubleshoot or profile your application. For more information on obtaining trace information, see “Tracing execution”. |
||
| Error Context Information | Select this if you want PowerBuilder to display context information (such as object, event, and script line number) for runtime errors. |
||
| Optimization | Select an optimization level. You can build your application with no optimizations, or you can optimize for speed or space. |
||
| Version | Specify your own values for the Company Name, Product Name, Description, Copyright, Product Version, and File Version fields associated with the executable file and with machine-code DLLs. These values become part of the Version resource associated with the executable file, and most of them display on the Version tab page of the Properties dialog box for the file in Windows Explorer. The File and Product Version numeric fields, on the left in
The four numbers can be used to represent the major version, The File and Product Version string fields, on the right in |
||
| PBD or DLL | The label for this check box depends on whether you are building a Pcode or machine code executable. Select the check box to define a library as a dynamic library to be distributed with your application. If you are generating Pcode, you create PBD files. If you |
||
| Resource File Name | Specify a resource file for a dynamic library if it uses resources (such as bitmaps and icons) and you want the resources included in the dynamic library instead of having to distribute the resources separately. The file name cannot be specified in the wizard. |
Location of temporary files
The machine code generation process puts temporary files in
a temporary directory, such as the TEMP directory.
You can specify a different location in the [PB] section
of your PowerBuilder initialization file with the CODEGENTEMP variable.
You might want to do this if you have limited space on your local
system.
For example:
|
1 |
CODEGENTEMP=e:pbtempdir |