LEVSONM%QUCDN.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU (Mark Levison) (11/18/87)
I have noticed several people mention that the external statement has been removed from Turbo Pascal 4.0. The project I worked on last summer (Statpad) used Turbo Pascal 3.1 and an external graphics library by Metagraphics. Their graphics used a memory resident graphics driver and set of include files that declared all their routines as external. Does anybody know if they will be any easy work around to get past this problem or should I start talking to Metagraphics people about an upgrade. Thanks in advance Mark Levison BS CS'90 Queen's University Disclaimer: These are not the opinions or views of Queen's University or any of my employers, they are just my own.
mhg@mitre-bedford.arpa (Mark H. Granoff) (11/18/87)
> I have noticed several people mention that the external statement has been >removed from Turbo Pascal 4.0. The project I worked on last summer (Statpad) >used Turbo Pascal 3.1 and an external graphics library by Metagraphics. Their >graphics used a memory resident graphics driver and set of include files that >declared all their routines as external. Does anybody know if they will be >any easy work around to get past this problem or should I start talking to >Metagraphics people about an upgrade. I would say (and this is only an educated guess) that any TP code (3.x or lower, naturally) written with external references or with someone elses code (e.g. Blaise Computing's Turbo Power Tools, etc.) will have to be rewritten. I suggest that you contact Metagraphics for an upgrade or an "approved" work-around. Hope this helps. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Mark H. Granoff Member of the Technical Staff | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | USMAIL: The MITRE Corporation | ARPAnet: mhg @ mitre-bedford.ARPA | | Burlington Rd. | UUCP : linus!mbunix!mhg | | M/S B015 |-----------------------------------| | Bedford, MA 01730 | A T & T: (617) 271 - 7030 | +--------------------------- Disclaimer ------------------------------+ |The views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect | | those of my employer. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
bird@kksys.UUCP (11/19/87)
Since TP 4.0 now supports separately assembled and compiled routines, libraries included at link time, and ability to interface with externally assembled assembly language routines, there must be a way to interface with external routines without using the external statement. I haven't perused my copy of the manual yet to try to figure it out, but I'm sure there's a way. However, it probably would take a re-write of the existing package to do it. -- ================================================================================ Mike Bird (No, I don't work for K&K systems) Mail paths: bird@kksys.UUCP -or- Give me credit for coming up with my own opinions. ...rutgers!meccts!kksys!bird Void where prohibited by law.
Randomizer@cup.portal.com (11/23/87)
There is *no* loss of the external statement in Turbo 4.0. The difference is in the type of external *file* that you are linking in. Turbo 4.0 will link only .OBJ files <--- from MASM or A86. turbo 3.0 could only use binary files. So you would probably have to ask your sources if they could upgrade their externals to .OBJ files. Randomizer@cup.portal.com