Tiny C startup module to build smaller C executables

[rvalois]

Vortex,
--------------------
Is there anyone using Borland C++ 5.5? Maybe, I can try creating a startup module for this compiler.
--------------------
I maybe late but if the offer still valid, I would like to have it.
Thank you,
RValois.

[Vortex]

Hi rvalois,

Welcome to the forum.

Here is an example package for you targetting both GUI and console applications.

Notice that I used the OMF linker from Digital Mars to create smaller executables compared to Borland's ilink32.exe

To get the Digital Mars C/C++ compiler package and tools :

http://www.digitalmars.com

[attachment deleted by admin]

[rvalois]

Hi Vortex,
-------------
Welcome to the forum.
-------------
Thank you but I have been here before. For some reason I had to re-register.


Unfortunately no luck compiling my code. Your example compiles fine.
This is what I got,
--------------------------------------------------------------------
G:\rvEd>f:\dm\bin\link -NOD -ENTRY:_WinMainCRTStartup -SU:WINDOWS -FIXE start.ob
j rved.obj,rved.exe,,kernel32.lib user32.lib comctl32.lib msvcrt.lib,rved.res
OPTLINK (R) for Win32  Release 7.50B1
Copyright (C) Digital Mars 1989 - 2001  All Rights Reserved

OPTLINK : Warning 23: No Stack
OPTLINK : Warning 174: 32-bit Segments Inappropriate for 16-bit Segmented output

start.obj(start)
Error 116: NEAR call to IMPORT at Relative 00003H  from
Segment _TEXT
FRAME  = Frame of Group FLAT 0000
TARGET = External Symbol GetModuleHandleA 00000H
FIXUPP Type = 32-bit Conditional JMP

G:\rvEd>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what I'm trying to compile:http://www.rvalois.com.br/downloads/rvEd.zip
It is a skeleton dialog based windows application.

Another thing, What is necessary to compile VC and BCC DLLs ?

Sorry to bother you...

Thank you.
RValois.

[Vortex]

Hi RValois,

Here is the rebuilded project with the final executable sized 7Kb.
Run the batch file buildlib.bat to create the import libraries before building the project.

To build small DLLs , have a look at this thread:

Small DLLs without C startup code

http://www.masmforum.com/simple/index.php?topic=1121.0

[attachment deleted by admin]

[rvalois]

Duh, one comma.
Thank you very much.
Regards,
RValois.

[Vortex]

Here is a new library coded with POASM for Pelles C. The library should work also with VC++

http://vortex.masmcode.com/files/Wcrt0_5.zip

[Vortex]

An example with MS VC++ Toolkit 2003

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Vortex]

The command line parser could not handle tab characters separating command line arguments - bug fixed

http://www.vortex.masmcode.com/files/Wcrt0_6.zip

[Ehtyar]

Hi all.
Firstly let me apologize for posting this here, as opposed to creating a new thread, but i'm tired of seeing retards running around reminding everyone that this is not a C board. (Hutch, any chance of a C forum? ;))

Anyway, a friend of mine has been trying to teach himself C++ (with no previous programming experience mind, so you can imagine the kind of questions i get ;)). So he has been compiling small examples programs and sending them to me for a while, and I've been making them more standards compliant, and optimizing (if that's possible in cpp) etc.
The last program he sent me was a ~30 line cli program, consisting of a single line prompt, and based on the next typed character, it would reply with one of two answers, then exit.
After applying all the optimizations i could find in dev-cpp (using MinGW) i had an exe that was....wait for it.....FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE KILOBYTES. Needless to say i am less than impressed with this.
To get to the point, i wish to know if:
1) Is this within range of the size of an executable produced by a c++ compiler and
2) Can anyone suggest to me ways of shrinking it's size, or suggest a better compiler.

I have tried to compile said program in vc, but i end up with a blight of errors, which can be found in Errors.txt in the attached zip file none of which seem to make any sense to me. I am using the command line compiler that accompanies visual c express 2005, and the includes from the windows sdk 2003.
Any advice on this topic would be appreciated, as i simply do not find half a megabyte for a program of this caliber acceptable.
The attachment contains the source and compiled executable i refer to above.

Thanks, Ehtyar.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[hutch--]

I just built your code using the older vctoolkit with this batch file. It builds at 73k.

Code Select Expand


@echo off

set pth=h:\vctoolkit\
set include=%pth%include\

if exist masm.exe del masm.exe
if exist masm.obj del masm.obj

:: speed
%pth%bin\cl /c /G7 /O2 /Ot /GA /EHsc masm.cpp

:: size
:: %pth%bin\cl /c /O1 /Os /EHsc masm.cpp

%pth%bin\Link /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE /libpath:%pth%lib masm.obj

dir masm.*

pause


[Vortex]

Ehtyar,

A small note, my startup module is designed to be used with C code not C++

While proceesing C++ code, the compiler inserts some additional subroutines handling expections, streams, memory management etc. Dealing with all of them in C++ is more compicated compared to the C environment.

[Ehtyar]

Yes Vortex, i am aware, i never tried to link your custom libs with the cpp program for that reason.

Hutch, i don't know what you did to make that work, but i have been trying for the past hour myself, and i still have errors from link.exe from the vctoolkit with ur bat file. Basically i have got it down to 6 unresolved externals:

Code Select Expand


masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol ___CxxFrameHandler3 referen
ced in function __ehhandler$??0?$ctype@D@std@@QAE@PBF_NI@Z
masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __EH_epilog3 referenced in
function "public: __thiscall std::ctype<char>::ctype<char>(short const *,bool,un
signed int)" (??0?$ctype@D@std@@QAE@PBF_NI@Z)
masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __EH_prolog3 referenced in
function "public: __thiscall std::ctype<char>::ctype<char>(short const *,bool,un
signed int)" (??0?$ctype@D@std@@QAE@PBF_NI@Z)
masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __EH_prolog3_catch referenc
ed in function "public: bool __thiscall std::basic_istream<char,struct std::char
_traits<char> >::_Ipfx(bool)" (?_Ipfx@?$basic_istream@DU?$char_traits@D@std@@@st
d@@QAE_N_N@Z)
masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __EH_epilog3_GS referenced
in function _main
masm.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __EH_prolog3_GS referenced
in function _main
masm.exe : fatal error LNK1120: 6 unresolved externals


No matter what i link against (libcp, libcpd, libcpmt etc), i get all 6 of these, which are apparently error handling functions. Why i am getting them and not yourself i cannot say, but if you have any ideas...I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks, Ehtyar.

[sinsi]

retards

that's a bit nasty isn't it?

[Ehtyar]

I believe it was yesterday that someone posted a C question in the workshop, and explicitly asked not to be reminded that this was an assembler board. The first post contained precisely such a reminder. I'd personally call that a little retarded, if not downright rude.

Ehtyar.

[sinsi]

Well, maybe the  :wink should have been a  :bdg or  :lol - or maybe we need a :sarcastic
(that was my reading of it...)