Tools

Author: (Norbert) Suedland, Aalen, Germany

Before a craftsman starts his work, he must be able to use suitable tools. Also programming is a handicraft.

The tools of Borland C++ 5 are already available at Turbo C 2.0 with same name. Now and then they are explained better in the Turbo C 2.0 User Manual, [1989Schae] than in Borland C++ 5 – the Compendium, [1997Lou]. Now, the advantage is, that at Borland C++ 5 the tools have been improved, the disadvantage is just a worse documentation, which with this shall best possible be made up for.

The following tools are available at Borland C++ 5, where here the list has been reduced to the needed helps to do 32 bit programming and can be added where needed by all tools, that are documented even worse:

1. cpp32.exe:
   A preprocessor, which rapidly shows, what the manyfoldly tortuous macro abbreviations actually reach by corresponding switch parameters.
2. tlib.exe:
   A programme to change libraries, which also lists the function names of an available library.
   To be completed, a translation of Borland C++ 5 into other languages should at least have found a proper notion to each of these function names. For future tools of this kind, a switch would be important, which also lists all function parameters due to ANSI standard, thus the generating of own header files would be simplified, the best alike also for function names with extended character coding (8, 16, and more bit).
3. grep.com:
   A search programme in source texts, which needs an extension to Unicode, and by this is a programming task for the beginning.
4. bcc32.exe:
   The very compiler, here the same for 32 bit architectures, which also does an own call of the preprocessor, thus even macro abbreviations can conveniently be translated from another language into traditional C and backwards.
5. ilink32.exe:
   The very linker, here the same for 32 bit architectures, which completes the programme into an executable form.
6. wildargs.obj:
   A translated module, that enables the new programme to receive parameters via the joker character '*', and then automatically fills in all file names, that are found for this in the current search path.
   This module can be included by the linker or added into a standard library by use of tlib. Since there are also calculation programmes, which are disturbed by a file group in the calling parameters, the author recommends to include this module only in case of need and to simplify this including by an option switch of future compilers and linkers, too. The joker possibility is available for programmes only, that start with a text window, or which get the calling parameters _argv, or _wargv respectively also without passing them to the starting function.
7. make.exe:
   A tool to organize also complicated programme developments reliably and transparently for all programmers having a share in. Concerning content this is an extended batch process, thus not only to generate programmes. In the long run, such a programme should be able to deal with file names in Unicode fonts.
8. td32.exe:
   The important Turbo Debugger for debugging of mistakes in programmes and technical connections, this is for quickly and reliably localizing of programming errors as much as possible. An extension to source texts in Unicode fonts is recommended for future tools of this kind.
9. bcw.exe:
   The Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in graphics mode, by which from Windows 95 until Windows XP valuable and not yet completed descriptions are accessible of the singular functions and possibilities from the view of Borland of that time. For the new version of the here begun documentation, also from the view of license it is forbidden just to translate these texts, as long as the first sale of this programme has not yet been 25 years before.
10. brcc32.exe:
    The very compiler of own Windows resources with the definition, which mouse signals are to be dealed with at which position of the screen, here the version for the 32 bit architecture. This possibility mainly becomes to be interesting, if the starting of an own Windows application has already been successful.
11. implib.exe:
    The tool to generate an import library for a Dynamic Link Library (DLL), thus the functions can be called correctly from an executable programme. This possibility mainly becomes to be interesting, if time and again the same functions are needed in divers programmes, which get access to each other.
12. impdef.exe:
    The tool to get the contents of a library or import library and to shorten it, where needed. This possibility mainly becomes to be interesting, if a programme has become too big.