tiny-cobol-users

[Tiny-cobol-users] portable app for windows.

[John R. C. <jo...@we...>]

In Tcl/Tk we have the concept and implementatin of a feature called a 
tclkit. The entire applicaton, including all necessary runtime 
components, can be packaged into a single zip file which can be 
unzipped and run on a foreign system. This is primarily applicable to 
MSWIn systems, which typically won't have a COBOL runtime installed. 

Let me start with the basic question: what minimum requirement is 
there on a MSWin system to run a Tiny COBOL executable? 

End users are not into installing Cygwin etc.
-- 
John Culleton
Able Indexing and Typesetting
Precision typesetting (tm) at reasonable cost.
Satisfaction guaranteed. 
http://wexfordpress.com

Re: [Tiny-cobol-users] portable app for windows.

[David E. <de...@us...>]

John R. Culleton wrote:

 > In Tcl/Tk we have the concept and implementation of
 > a feature called a tclkit.
 > The entire applicaton, including all necessary runtime
 > components, can be packaged into a single zip file which
 > can be unzipped and run on a foreign system.
 > This is primarily applicable to MSWIn systems, which
 > typically won't have a COBOL runtime installed.
 >
 > Let me start with the basic question: what minimum
 > requirement is there on a MSWin system to run a TinyCOBOL
 > executable?
 >
 > End users are not into installing Cygwin etc.

Any application compiled with MinGW does not require other libraries
(DLL's) to run on any Win32 platform (Asta-la-Vista ?).

The only requirements to run a TC executable, compiled using MinGW, is
the TC run-time, and the TC run-time helper libraries, PDcurses and BDB1.
Plus what ever extra libraries used (ex. Tcl/Tk).

If static libraries are used, in the link step, to create a Win32
executable, then no other libraries (DLL's) need to be installed.

If any DLL's are used, in the link step, to create a Win32 executable,
then these DLL's are required, to be installed on the system, to run the
executable.

Hope this helps.

Re: [Tiny-cobol-users] portable app for windows.

[John R. C. <jo...@we...>]

On Thursday 10 May 2007 22:19, David Essex wrote:
> John R. Culleton wrote:
>  > In Tcl/Tk we have the concept and implementation of
>  > a feature called a tclkit.
>  > The entire applicaton, including all necessary runtime
>  > components, can be packaged into a single zip file which
>  > can be unzipped and run on a foreign system.
>  > This is primarily applicable to MSWIn systems, which
>  > typically won't have a COBOL runtime installed.
>  >
>  > Let me start with the basic question: what minimum
>  > requirement is there on a MSWin system to run a TinyCOBOL
>  > executable?
>  >
>  > End users are not into installing Cygwin etc.
>
> Any application compiled with MinGW does not require other
> libraries (DLL's) to run on any Win32 platform (Asta-la-Vista ?).
>
> The only requirements to run a TC executable, compiled using MinGW,
> is the TC run-time, and the TC run-time helper libraries, PDcurses
> and BDB1. Plus what ever extra libraries used (ex. Tcl/Tk).
>
> If static libraries are used, in the link step, to create a Win32
> executable, then no other libraries (DLL's) need to be installed.
>
> If any DLL's are used, in the link step, to create a Win32
> executable, then these DLL's are required, to be installed on the
> system, to run the executable.
>
> Hope this helps.
>

I hope so too:<)

Can all the required files be packaged up in zip file and deployed 
into a single directory on the end user's machine? 

I think I can avoid using DLLs although I have not yet fooled with 
Tiny on a Windows partition. 

John Culleton
Able Indexing and Typesetting
Precision typesetting (tm) at reasonable cost.
Satisfaction guaranteed. 
http://wexfordpress.com

Re: [Tiny-cobol-users] portable app for windows.

[David E. <de...@us...>]

John R. Culleton wrote:

 > ...
 > Can all the required files be packaged up in
 > zip file and deployed into a single directory
 > on the end user's machine?
 >
 > I think I can avoid using DLLs although I have
 > not yet fooled with Tiny on a Windows partition.

Yes you can install all files into a single directory.
Unless you are deploying a large number of executables, I would use 
static libraries.
This way no TC run-time elements are required by the end user.

To save yourself and the end user much aggravation, you may wish to use 
an installation generation program.
When run, the install program which will create short-cuts, un-install 
file, and most other things which Win32 users expect.

TC (MinGW edition) uses INNO setup. It generates an install program from 
about 20 lines of options (script). See tcobol.iss, generated by the 
configure script 'tconfig.mingw.sh' from 'info/isetup/tcobol.iss.in'.

Some things to keep in mind when using Win32 and MinGW.

If a DLL version of a library is found, the DLL will be used in the link 
step.

Console and GUI applications are compiled differently (see tgui02).
So if console applications is compiled as a GUI application, the 
ACCEPT/DISPLAY verbs will not work properly.

DLL's need to be installed in the CWD or the PATH or SYSTEM PATH, 
otherwise the application will fail to run with a DLL not found error 
dialog.

Hope this helps.