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README.DOC File Release Notes for the Microsoft(R) QuickC(R) Compiler with QuickAssembler, Version 2.51 (C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1989-1990 This document contains release notes for Version 2.51 of the Microsoft QuickC Compiler with QuickAssembler. It includes information on both C and assembly language. The Contents section below lists the documentation for C and assembly language affected by the release notes. In all cases, the information in this document supersedes the information in the manuals. However, Microsoft revises its documentation at the time of reprinting; the manuals may already include some of this information. Note: If you're reading this from within on-line help, but would prefer to print it out by loading README.DOC into a word processor, you can find the file in the executable files directory (the default is \QC25\BIN). The other documentation files are \SAMPLES\QASAMPLES.DOC, which explains the assembly-language example programs in the SAMPLES directory; and SAMPLES.DOC, which explains the C-language example programs in the same directory. (COMPAQ is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corporation.) (Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.) (Novell is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.) ===============================< Contents >================================ This document has five parts: Part Notes ---- ---------------------------------------------- 1 Notes on "Up and Running" 2 Notes on "C for Yourself" 3 Notes on "QuickC Tool Kit" 4 Notes on "QuickAssembler Programmer's Guide" 5 Additional Notes on QuickC with QuickAssembler ===================< Part 1: Notes on "Up and Running" >=================== Page Note ---- ---- Inside Front Cover Brief Guide to Keystrokes --- ------------------------- The chart on the inside front cover says the ESC key "stops the compiler and linker from continuing." ESC stops the compiler but NOT the linker. Press CTRL+BREAK to stop both the compiler and linker. If you are using the debugger and running a program that expects keyboard input, pressing either CTRL+C or CTRL+BREAK and then ENTER will allow you to exit. 6 Running SETUP --- ------------- If you already have QuickC installed, SETUP will overwrite the existing QC.INI file that contains the current compiler options, etc. set in the environment. If you wish to save those settings, rename this file before running SETUP. 19 Using QuickC --- ------------ If you own a COMPAQ(R) SLT/286, and the LCD display goes blank when exiting from QuickC back to DOS, you should run the program DAC_ON.COM before loading QuickC. To obtain a copy of DAC_ON.COM, contact your authorized COMPAQ Computer Dealer. 42 The Debugger --- ------------ The Quickwatch command does not display complete information for assembler structures. Only the first member of a structure is shown. You may see the message "currently running program terminated" while debugging. This may happen if your program is linked with a user-created library module that contains debugging information, and for which the source files are present. In such a case, single- stepping into a function contained in the library will cause the debugger to terminate the current program and attempt to compile the source files for the library module into an executable program. You can avoid this problem by setting your program list to contain only the name of the source file of your program. (miscellaneous) Accessing Memory at 0xFFFF -------------------------- Due to a problem with the Intel(R) processor, any attempt to access a word value at memory location 0xFFFF may cause the system to hang. The most likely way for this to happen is from within the QuickC debugger, if you use the WO (display word) or DW (display double word) operators to examine a register containing 0xFFFF. Any C or assembly-language program trying to access that location may also cause the system to hang. Incompatibility with Novell(R) Netware -------------------------------------- If you have a peripheral (such as a mouse) that uses IRQ 3, and your system is part of a network using Novell Netware version 2.15 or lower, your system may hang when you load the QuickC environment. As a temporary solution, reset your peripheral to use another interrupt. For more information, contact your Novell Netware dealer. ===================< Part 2: Notes on "C for Yourself" >=================== Page Note ---- ---- 53 Type Qualifiers --- --------------- The fourth paragraph in this section is incorrect. A long double value is the same size as a double. It contains 8 bytes, not 10. It expresses a floating-point number with at least 15 digits of precision, not 19. Table 4.1 on page 49 should also be corrected. 164 Declaring a Pointer with the Wrong Type --- --------------------------------------- In the first program listing on the page, the line ptr = val; /* Error! */ should read ptr = &val; /* Error! */ 215 Table 11.4 Standard vs. Low-Level --- ----------------------------------- The headings across the top of the table should read Function Parameters Returns Error Condition 298 Vector-Mapped Fonts --- ------------------- Add this note to the description of vector mapping: If a vector-mapped font is selected in graphics mode, any function affecting "_moveto" or "_lineto" will also affect the font ("_setlinestyle" and so on) when "_outgtext" is called. 304 Example Program Using Fonts --- --------------------------- The line reading if( !_setfont( list ) ) should read if( _setfont( list ) >= 0 ) 309 Limits on _asm Identifiers --- -------------------------- Never use reserved assembly words as labels, variable names, or other identifiers within an _asm block. This includes words in the following categories: - ASM Opcodes such as CMP or MOV - Opcodes new to the 80186, 80286, and 80386 such as ARPLS or CLTS - Reserved operand words such as WORD or PARA - C library functions such as "exit" or "time" For example, the following code is not permitted: main() { int word; _asm { mov WORD PTR [word],ax } } The variable 'word' can be used in the C part of the program, but not within the assembly block. 366 Font Display Routines --- --------------------- The return values for the _registerfonts and _setfont functions should be _registerfonts Returns: the number of fonts registered, or a negative value if failure _setfont Returns: a negative value if failure, zero or positive if successful ==================< Part 3: Notes on "QuickC Tool Kit" >=================== Page Note ---- ---- 94 /Gw, GW (Generate Code for Windows Function Calls) --- -------------------------------------------------- QuickC 2.5 supports development of programs for the next release of Windows. If you wish to develop programs for Windows 2.03, you must explicitly link your program with C51STUBS.LIB. 130 /INC (Prepare for ILINK) --- ------------------------ By default, ILINK will call LINK if the incremental link fails. To make ILINK call QLINK instead, use the /E option and an argument. For example: ILINK /E "QLINK @RESPONSE" PROGRAM.EXE 259 Warning Message C4018 --- --------------------- The warning message below is new and should be added to page 259: C4018 'operator': signed/unsigned mismatch An expression involving the specified operator had inconsistent integer types. The two integer expressions used in the comparison operation are not of the same signed or unsigned type. (miscellaneous) Makefile Compatibility with QuickC 2.0 -------------------------------------- The name of the linker supplied with QuickC has been changed from LINK to QLINK. Any makefile used with QuickC 2.0 that specify the LINK command should be changed accordingly. Makefile Compatibility with Programmer's WorkBench -------------------------------------------------- The makefiles generated by QuickC are not fully readable by Microsoft Programmer's WorkBench (PWB) included with Microsoft's Professional Development Systems. PWB is unable to read the linker options specified in QuickC makefiles, so you will have to re-specify those options using PWB's menus. QuickC cannot read makefiles generated by PWB. ========< Part 4: Notes on "QuickAssembler Programmer's Guide" >=========== Page Note ---- ---- xi Running SETUP Before Using Help --- ------------------------------- Before using the Quick Advisor, make sure you run the SETUP program. This program combines files on different disks to build QA.HLP, which contains help on assembly language as well as DOS and BIOS interrupt functions. xi Expanding Environment Space --- --------------------------- QuickAssembler for QuickC makes use of certain environment variables, such as HELPFILES. However, these variables are stored in an area of memory called the "environment space." You may need to expand this memory to use the new environment variables successfully. If you run DOS 3.2 or later, you can set the environment space with the DOS SHELL command. For example, the following command sets the environment size at 3000 bytes when placed in CONFIG.SYS: SHELL=COMMAND.COM /E:3000 /p Consult your DOS manual for more information. xi Temporary Files and the TMP Environment Variable --- ------------------------------------------------ If you do not have a TMP environment variable set, the linker prints the following message when it creates a temporary file: temporary file <filename> created To avoid getting this message, set the TMP environment variable to the name of a drive and directory. This drive should have some free space. For example, the following command line sets C:\TEMP as the directory where the linker places temporary files: SET TMP=C:\TEMP For convenience, place this command (or a similar one) in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to execute it automatically. 6 Terminating the Program with .EXIT --- ---------------------------------- When you use the .STARTUP directive, the recommended method for terminating the program is to use the .EXIT directive. With stand-alone assembly programs, you must explicitly terminate or the processor will execute meaningless instructions beyond the end of the program. The .EXIT directive has the following syntax: .EXIT [exitcode] in which exitcode is an optional register, memory location, or constant that contains a value to return to DOS. This value must not be larger than one byte. When you use this directive, the assembler generates instructions that call DOS function 4CH (Exit with Return Code). You can use another method to terminate the program if you wish. The assembler generates an advisory warning if you use .STARTUP without .EXIT. The .EXIT directive requires that .MODEL was previously used. Within the environment, the assembler generates an advisory warning message if you use .STARTUP without using .EXIT. Outside the environment, the assembler does not generate this message. 7 Effect of ILINK on Building a Program --- ------------------------------------- By default, the QuickC environment invokes ILINK to link programs. ILINK, in turn, requires that a program have a default data segment (it may be empty). To meet this requirement, you can do any of three alternatives: 1. Declare a data segment with .DATA if using simplified segment directives. 2. Declare a group named DGROUP. 3. Turn Incremental Link off in the Linker Flags dialog box. The use of ILINK imposes some other requirements on assembly- language programs: 1. You cannot have a segment with the AT attribute. 2. Avoid depending on distances between segments being fixed. Some programs calculate the distance between two segments and then use this value elsewhere. When ILINK is in use, segment-address arithmetic is unpredictable. 3. The DUP operator cannot have a program address as an operand. For example, the following statement is compatible with ILINK: myarr DW 10 DUP (5) However, the next statement is not compatible with ILINK, even though it is supported by the assembler: myarr DW 10 DUP (myproc) 7 Searching for Include Files --- --------------------------- When building and running a program, note that the assembler looks for include files in the following order: 1. The directory in which the current source file is located 2. Directories specified with the /I command-line option 3. The current directory (as recognized by the environment) 4. Directories specified in the INCLUDE environment variable 9 Assembling from the Command Line --- -------------------------------- QCL does not report some warning messages reported inside the QuickC environment. QCL does not warn you if you use .STARTUP without .EXIT. 14 Specifying Debug Expressions --- ---------------------------- The QuickC environment now supports an optional display-format character for examining arrays. You can add a suffix to any expression for the Watch window as follows: expression,nf in which n is a number and f is a format specifier (such as i, x, d, or a). Both are optional. The use of n displays the expression as if it were an array. If the expression is already an array, then the use of n displays the array as if it were an array of a higher dimension. The assembler does not type any symbol as an array. Thus, the use of n with a variable declared in assembly always displays the variable as an array of one dimension. The optional f display-format specifier only affects the format in which each member of the array is displayed. The Watch window determines the type of array from the expression or from BY, WO, or DW if used. If WVAR is declared as type WORD (or "int" in C), then WVAR,5x displays the first five words at the address of WVAR. The "x" specifies hex format. BY WVAR,5x displays the first five bytes at the address of WVAR. Each byte is displayed as if it were a hexadecimal word-sized value. 56 The PROC Directive --- ------------------ The PROC directive sets the BP register to point to a procedure's frame, but only if you use a parameter list or the LOCAL directive. 82 Using Full Segment Definitions --- ------------------------------ The program example on this page should declare class name 'CODE' for the segment definition: _TEXT SEGMENT 'CODE' The class name 'CODE' is necessary if you want to debug the module. The assembler issues a warning message if you assemble a code segment without this class name. If you use simplified segment directives, the code segments automatically have this class name. 109 Defining Segment Combine Types --- ------------------------------ The combine type describes how the linker combines segments, but does not affect the assembler itself. Within any given module, the assembler concatenates segments with the same name. Thus, segments with the COMMON attribute are overlapped only if they are in different modules. 383 Assembling with Two Passes --- -------------------------- In addition to the options listed in Appendix B, QCL supports the /P2 option, which specifies two-pass assembly. The /P1 option specifies one-pass assembly and is now the default. Two-pass assembly is slower than one-pass assembly, but enables some language-specific features (such as IF1 and IF2) that rely on two passes. 383 Removing Copyright Message --- -------------------------- In addition to the options listed in Appendix B, QCL supports the /nologo option, which prevents QCL from printing the product name and copyright information. QCL also prints a warning message when a nonstandard version of DOS is detected. The /nologo option prevents this message from being printed. 386 Using /AT to Generate a .COM File --- --------------------------------- If you use QCL to generate a .COM file but do not use /AT, the linker may produce a file with an .EXE extension. This file is really in .COM format. It should be renamed immediately. You can prevent this situation by using the /AT option, or by using the /Fe option to explicitly give the name of the output file. For example, the following command line produces a file with a .EXE extension: QCL sample.asm /link /TINY However, the following command lines each produce a file with a .COM extension: QCL /AT /Ln sample.asm /link /TINY QCL /Fe sample.com sample.asm /link /TINY 392 Line-Number Index in Listing File --- --------------------------------- The line-number index generated by /Sq (and generated by default within the environment) lists correspondences between source-file lines and listing-file lines. This index, placed at the end of the listing file, is read and interpreted by the QuickC environment. You should avoid writing utilities that read this index. The format of the line-number index is subject to change without notice. ========< Part 5: Additional Notes for QuickC with QuickAssembler>========= Source of DOS and BIOS Function Information in Help --------------------------------------------------- On-line help includes information on IBM ROM BIOS services as well as MS-DOS service calls. The information on these topics is adapted from the books "IBM ROM BIOS" and "MS-DOS Functions" by Ray Duncan. Both books are published by Microsoft Press and are part of the Programmer's Quick Reference Series. Math Coprocessor Instructions in .ASM Programs ---------------------------------------------- If you do not have a math coprocessor chip, you must use the /FPi option when assembling code for emulated floating-point instructions. If the switch is omitted, your assembly-language programs may hang your machine. Setting Breakpoints on Assembly Procedures and Labels ----------------------------------------------------- Version 2.51 of QuickAssembler now supports setting breakpoints on labels. Because assembly procedures are treated as labels, a dialog box verifies if you want to set a breakpoint at a procedure label. Additional information can be found in the on-line help. ILINK and Tiny Model -------------------- When switching to tiny model from another model, or from another model to tiny model, turn off the incremental link option the first time you build after switching models. Alternatively, you can delete to .SYM and .ILK files to force a full link. ILINK should always be disabled when creating tiny model (.COM) programs.