Vbcc on Win: Flag <-o> needs string

[guy lateur]

I'm getting this error when compiling a testing exe in c. Here's what it says:

 
vbcc -I "E:\\Amiga\\Dev\\NDK_3.9\\Include\\include_h" basicWin.c -o basicWin.exe
error 3: Flag <-o> needs string
aborting...

What am I doing wrong? TIA!

[guy lateur]

Also, if I add -v to turn on verbose mode, it says 'Unknown Flag <-v>'.

[Leffmann]

Use the front-end (vc) instead of calling the compiler directly, and don't put spaces between -I and its argument. Also, if you're still using the VBCC Windows installer then NDK 3.9 is already installed and configured, there's no need to manually point to it.

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by Leffmann

Use the front-end (vc) instead of calling the compiler directly, and don't put spaces between -I and its argument. Also, if you're still using the VBCC Windows installer then NDK 3.9 is already installed and configured, there's no need to manually point to it.

Yep, that's way better, thanks!
I'm only getting 'Reference to undefined symbol' errors now..

I thought vbcc had an 'automatic opening of libraries used' option, but I can't seem to find it. Or do I have to open and close the libs myself? Below is an example (slightly modified) I got from here: http://www.pjhutchison.org/tutorial/windows.html So how do I compile/link this?

#include <proto/intuition.h>
#include <proto/gadtools.h>  /* Gadtools is needed for GetIMsg and ReplyIMsg */ 
#include <proto/exec.h>   /* Exec is needed for Wait function */
#include <exec/exec.h>   /* Exec is needed for Wait function */
#include <proto/dos.h>
#include <intuition/intuition.h>
 struct DosLibrary *DOSBase;
struct ExecLibrary *ExecBase;
// struct IntuitionLibrary *IntuitionBase;
 int main() 
{
    struct Window *myWindow;
    int closewin = FALSE;       /* Flag used to end program */
    struct IntuiMessage *msg;   /* Structure to store Intuition message data */
    ULONG msgClass;             /* Class value */
    
    myWindow = OpenWindowTags(NULL,
                              WA_Left, 20, WA_Top, 20,
                              WA_Width, 200, WA_Height, 150,
                              WA_IDCMP, IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW,
                              WA_Flags, WFLG_SIZEGADGET | WFLG_DRAGBAR | WFLG_DEPTHGADGET | WFLG_CLOSEGADGET    | WFLG_ACTIVATE,
                              WA_Title, "My Window",
                              WA_PubScreenName, "Workbench",
                              TAG_DONE);
         
    while (closewin == FALSE)  /* Run program until window is closed */
 {                       
        Wait(1L << myWindow->UserPort->mp_SigBit);      /* Wait for an event! */
        msg = GT_GetIMsg(myWindow->UserPort);           /* Get message data    */ 
        msgClass = msg->Class;                          /* What has been clicked? */
        GT_ReplyIMsg(msg);          /* Close message */
     
        if (msgClass == IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW)     /* Check here if Close    Window selected */
  {           
            CloseWindow(myWindow);                      /* Close window    */ 
            closewin = TRUE;
        }
    }
    return(0);
}

[alkis]

If I comment out the declaration of the library-bases it compiles cleanly with
vc +aos68k -o foo foo.c -lamiga -lauto

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by alkis

If I comment out the declaration of the library-bases it compiles cleanly with
vc +aos68k -o foo foo.c -lamiga -lauto

It does indeed, thanks for the tip! It doesn't even seem to require linking to amiga.lib, nor the specification of the aos68k config file -- although I may to keep the latter in, just for good measure.

So I suppose the linking with auto.lib is what makes it open the necessary libraries for us. Hmm, I wonder how that works..

[alkis]

something like that, more or less..

http://cahirwpz.users.sourceforge.ne...ning-interface

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by alkis

something like that, more or less..

http://cahirwpz.users.sourceforge.ne...ning-interface

Nice, thanks!

[guy lateur]

Are all these libraries (even intuition and gadtools) located in ROM? Because I don't have any of them as a .library file in my LIBS: folder, and yet the example runs perfectly fine. I have 3.X ROMs.

[guy lateur]

Well, they're documented in the libraries section of the ROM kernel reference manual, so I guess they're in ROM..

http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node0002.html

[phx]

Originally Posted by guy lateur

It doesn't even seem to require linking to amiga.lib, nor the specification of the aos68k config file

Vbcc's standard Amiga config files automatically link against vc.lib and amiga.lib.

although I may to keep the latter in, just for good measure.

Yes. You never know the default config file in an installation.

So I suppose the linking with auto.lib is what makes it open the necessary libraries for us. Hmm, I wonder how that works..

Through compiler/linker-specific constructors and destructors. With vbcc a function starting with _INIT... is automatically entered in the constructor list and with _EXIT... into the destructor list. The format is _INIT_<pri>_name, with <pri> defining the priority between 0 and 9. The linker (vlink) builds the lists of constructors and destructors automatically and assigns the symbols __CTOR_LIST__[] and __DTOR_LIST__[], which are used by the vclib startup code to run them before main() / after exit().

Originally Posted by alkis

something like that, more or less..

http://cahirwpz.users.sourceforge.ne...ning-interface

As mentioned above this is highly compiler / linker specific. Your example only works with gcc, ld and a.out format (SET). Mine only works with vlink.

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by phx

Through compiler/linker-specific constructors and destructors. With vbcc a function starting with _INIT... is automatically entered in the constructor list and with _EXIT... into the destructor list. The format is _INIT_<pri>_name, with <pri> defining the priority between 0 and 9. The linker (vlink) builds the lists of constructors and destructors automatically and assigns the symbols __CTOR_LIST__[] and __DTOR_LIST__[], which are used by the vclib startup code to run them before main() / after exit().

Alright, so vclib is where the magic is at. That would make sense, always being linked in anyway. So I guess this contains some code that is always run near the end of the linking stage, that adds in some extra initialisation and clenaup code to the executable? Because that sounds like a very exotic thing to program.. And autolib contains those special constructors/destructors for multiple libs, right?

Anyway, thanks for the info, phx! You know it almost feels like cheating, having you around here..

[phx]

Originally Posted by guy lateur

So I guess this contains some code that is always run near the end of the linking stage, that adds in some extra initialisation and clenaup code to the executable?

No, it just runs the function pointers from the constructor and destructor list. Here is vclib's portable _main.c. __main() is called by the lowlevel m68k-amigaos startup-code.

#include <stddef.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>

struct __exitfuncs *__firstexit;

extern int main(int, char **);
extern void __exit();  /* from startup-code */

/* from linker */
extern void (*__CTOR_LIST__[])(void),(*__DTOR_LIST__[])(void);


/* Specified in c99. */
void _Exit(int returncode)
{
  void (**dtors)(void);
  int i;

  if (dtors = __DTOR_LIST__) {
    for (i=1; *dtors[i]; i++);
    while (--i) (*dtors[i])();  /* call destructors */
  }

  __exit(returncode);
}


void exit(int returncode)
{
  static int in_exit = 0;

  if (!in_exit) {
    struct __exitfuncs *p=__firstexit;

    /* run atexit-functions */
    in_exit = 1;
    while(p) {
      p->func();
      p=p->next;
    }
    _Exit(returncode);
  }
}


/*
  This function has to be called by the startup-code.

  The startup-code typically has to:
  - setup hardware, stack etc. (if needed)
  - initialize variables (if needed)
  - parse command line (if needed)
  - call __main
*/

void __main(int argc,char **argv)
{
  void (**ctors)(void) = __CTOR_LIST__;

  if (ctors++) {
    while (*ctors)
      (*ctors++)();  /* call constructors */
  }

  exit(main(argc,argv));
}

And autolib contains those special constructors/destructors for multiple libs, right?

Yes. Example for asl.library:

#include <exec/libraries.h>
#include <proto/exec.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

struct Library *AslBase = NULL;
extern unsigned long _AslBaseVer;

void _INIT_5_AslBase()
{
  if (!(AslBase = OpenLibrary("asl.library",_AslBaseVer)))
    exit(20);
}

void _EXIT_5_AslBase()
{
  if (AslBase)
    CloseLibrary(AslBase);
}

As soon as AslBase is referenced, the linker pulls this module in and adds its constructor and destructor to the list.
_AslBaseVer is in an extra object, so you have the possibility to overwrite the default version.

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by phx

No, it just runs the function pointers from the constructor and destructor list. Here is vclib's portable _main.c. __main() is called by the lowlevel m68k-amigaos startup-code.

<snip>

Ok, I see, I think. Although I don't fully understand the _main/__main/exit/_exit thing (please allow me to let this sink in), that does seem to make a lot more sense than whatever it was I was thinking of..

Originally Posted by phx

Yes. Example for asl.library:

#include <exec/libraries.h>
#include <proto/exec.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

struct Library *AslBase = NULL;
extern unsigned long _AslBaseVer;

void _INIT_5_AslBase()
{
  if (!(AslBase = OpenLibrary("asl.library",_AslBaseVer)))
    exit(20);
}

void _EXIT_5_AslBase()
{
  if (AslBase)
    CloseLibrary(AslBase);
}

As soon as AslBase is referenced, the linker pulls this module in and adds its constructor and destructor to the list.
_AslBaseVer is in an extra object, so you have the possibility to overwrite the default version.

Am I right in assuming that, given that I'd wanted to build a custom .library myself (just assuming I could actually do that, for now), I'd only have to link to a file that contains definitions similar to those above to have the auto con/destruction kick in? Because that would be really sweet..

[phx]

Originally Posted by guy lateur

Am I right in assuming that, given that I'd wanted to build a custom .library myself (just assuming I could actually do that, for now), I'd only have to link to a file that contains definitions similar to those above to have the auto con/destruction kick in?

Yes.

For a single library you can easily modify this file. I am auto-generating all those sources for auto.lib from the FD-files (looking for ##base), of course.

[guy lateur]

Originally Posted by phx

Yes. For a single library you can easily modify this file.

Fantastically sweet with sugar on top!