[comp.lang.pascal] Unit Compatibility

mclaren@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (David McLaren) (06/11/91)

I realise there has already been some discussion on the compatbility (or rather
non-compatibility) of different TP .TPU files. What I would like to know is
whether or not there is ANY WAY AT ALL of using compiled units (from TP 4.0)
with any of the more recent TP versions (5.0, 5.5, 6.0). I have a couple of
important unit which I never had the source code for & I NEED to be able to 
use them still. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

David Mclaren

_____________________________________________________________________________
   ____  ___ _  _  ___    Deptartment of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 
    / / /__/ |  / /__     University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001.
 __/_/ /  /  |_/ /____    Ph. (002) 20-2137, mclaren@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au
_____________________________________________________________________________
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
   ____  ___ _  _  ___    Deptartment of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 
    / / /__/ |  / /__     University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001.
 __/_/ /  /  |_/ /____    Ph. (002) 20-2137, mclaren@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au

dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) (06/11/91)

In article <2399@diemen.utas.edu.au> mclaren@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (David McLaren) writes:
>I realise there has already been some discussion on the compatbility (or rather
>non-compatibility) of different TP .TPU files. What I would like to know is
>whether or not there is ANY WAY AT ALL of using compiled units (from TP 4.0)
>with any of the more recent TP versions (5.0, 5.5, 6.0). I have a couple of
>important unit which I never had the source code for & I NEED to be able to 
>use them still. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

As far as I know, the only halfway (or maybe not quite halfway) reasonable way
to do that is to keep your TP4 compiler around, and write programs to be
Exec'd from your newer code.  I've heard of a disassembler for .TPU files,
but have never tried it; if it actually works, that might be another
alternative.  Unfortunately for your phone bill, the only place I've ever
seen this thing is on Compuserve.

Duncan Murdoch
dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu

Gordon_Hooton@kcbbs.gen.nz (Gordon Hooton) (06/13/91)

The archeive site at Garbo (University of Waasa) has sone units that 
will return the headers for units of previous TP versions I believe.
Beyond that I think there is no way (if someone did write an automatic 
TPU updater I bet they would make a fortune...virtually every TP programmer 
who upgrades makes the same request).
I wonder if an intelligent dissassembler (back to TASM) with TD would 
help?
Regards -Gordon.