How To Compile a CFM for Visual FoxPro/Mac with CodeWarrior

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Macintosh, version 3.0b

SUMMARY

This article describes the procedures for building a CFM library for use with Visual FoxPro for Macintosh using the CodeWarrior 8 C compiler. It will assume that the C code and LCK functions have been implemented properly in the source code file.

MORE INFORMATION

CodeWarrior is manufactured by MetroWerks Inc., a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

The folder paths to the Visual FoxPro API sample files are as follow:

   Microsoft Visual FoxPro:API:Sample Code
   Microsoft Visual FoxPro:API:CodeWarrior
   Microsoft Visual FoxPro:API:CodeWarrior:CW CFM Sample

Visual FoxPro for Macintosh comes with a sample CodeWarrior project called Hello.pi (note that the actual file extension is the symbol for the Greek letter pi but that character cannot be reproduced in this text). The easiest procedure for building a CFM from a new C file is to copy this project and make some modifications for the new file.

Step-by-Step Example

1. Make sure that Metrowerks CodeWarrior 8 is installed on the Macintosh. By default is should install in a folder named CW8 Gold. The compiler to use is found in the Metrowerks CodeWarrior folder in the CW8 Gold folder. Use the CodeWarrior IDE 1.4 program.

2. To build the sample CodeWarrior Hello.pi project into a CFM, open the Hello.pi project. It is located in the CW CFM Sample folder. Choose the Make command from the Project menu, press CMD+M or click the Make button on the CodeWarrior toolbar. This library can then be loaded in Visual FoxPro with the SET LIBRARY TO command. More information on calling the library functions will follow.

3. To build a different C file into a library, follow these steps.

   a. Go to Finder and open up the CW CFM Sample folder.

   b. Copy the Reverse.c file from the Sample Code folder to the CW

         CFM Sample folder.
   

   c. Duplicate the Hello.pi.exp file in the CW CFM Sample folder. Rename

         it to Reverse.pi.exp. This file should only contain the text
         "DispatchAPI" without the quotes. If CodeWarrior is allowed to
         create this file when Making the CFM, the build will fail.
   

   d. Duplicate the Hello.pi project file. Rename it to Reverse.pi.

   e. Double-click Reverse.pi to launch CodeWarrior. If you get the

         message that the project was created by an older version of
         CodeWarrior, go ahead and update it.
   

   f. With the Reverse.pi project window active, choose the Add Files...

         command from the Project menu. Add the Reverse.c file to the
         project. You will probably have to navigate to the CW CFM Sample
         folder to find it. It should show up under the Sources portion of
         the project. If not, drag it there.
   

   g. Remove the Hello.c file from the project. Select Hello.c and

         choose the Remove Files command from the Project menu.
   

   h. To have the correct name and icon for the new CFM file you are about

         to build, a couple of preferences need to be set. From the Edit menu,
         choose the Preferences... command. Choose the PPC Project icon from
         the list of icons on the left side of the Preferences dialog. Scroll
         down to find it. The Project Type should be Shared Library. The File
         Name can be any legal name. Use Reverse.cfm for this example. The
         Creator can be changed to "cfmg" ,without quotes, to provide the
         CFM with the library bookshelf icon. Leave the Type as "shlb."
   

   i. While still in the Edit...Preferences dialog, choose the Access

         Paths icon on the left side. Under the Additional Access Paths
         section, check the Treat #include <..> as #include "..." checkbox.
         Alternately, you can modify the Reverse.c file and change the
         #include <pro_ext.h> line to #include "pro_ext.h." Checking the
         checkbox is preferable however.
   

   j. Make the project. Choose the Make command from the Project menu,

         press CMD+M, or click on the Make button on the toolbar. Reverse.cfm
         should show up in the CW CFM Sample folder with a bookshelf icon.
   

4. To load the Hello or Reverse.cfm libraries in Visual FoxPro, use one of the following commands from the Visual FoxPro Command window or within a program:

         SET LIBRARY TO GETFILE() ADDITIVE
   

   Click the All Files checkbox, and navigate to the folder with the library.

   If the full path to the library is known, type that in the command:

        SET LIBRARY TO HOME()+"API:CodeWarrior:CW CFM Sample:Reverse.cfm"
        SET LIBRARY TO HOME()+"API:CodeWarrior:CW CFM Sample:Hello" ADDITIVE
   

   Note that the complete library file name must be specified, including any file name extension(.CFM). This was not the case in FoxPro 2.6 for Macintosh.

REFERENCES

For more information on the SET LIBRARY TO command, see Online Help.