There is an Open-Source IDE for FPC written in Delphi called DevPascal, available from http://www.bloodshed.net/devpascal.html I cannot vouch for it's quality as I never program on windows, and thus have never used it.
Others have told me it is quite good though so I thought you might find it interesting.

A

You should consider subscribing to the list, at least briefly.

I think you are double-clicking on the free pascal executable which opens a console window, prints some text, and quits. The window stays visible so you can read the text but the session is over.

To use Free Pascal this way, you would need to execute the IDE which is like a combined editor, compiler, and debugger. However, I don't use Windows... but I don't think there the Windows IDE is ready yet (list members: is this true??). I think there is third-party Windows IDE, maybe it's in the docs or someone will give you a pointer.

To use Free Pascal without the IDE, and really even with the IDE, you will probably want to learn a bit about DOS. You will need to open a DOS window (A.K.A., command window), change directories, edit files, etc. (You can use Notepad or Wordpad or any other editor that edits plain text). To compile the program, I would recommend:

fpc -gl -Co -Cr <filename>

This will get you started... you need to learn a bit about DOS, I'm afraid, to really feel comfortable running FPC this way.

Regarding the path, when you are in a DOS window, you can see the path by typing 'path'. I usually do this (let's assume your FPC executables are installed in c:\fpc\bin\win32):

1. put the current path into a batch file:

path > delme.bat

2. edit batch file to make it set the path and add the extra, you want this:

set PATH=(old path); c:\fpc\bin\win32

where PATH=(old path) is what's the file when you start editing

3. execute the batch file by typing it's name

4. To make this permanent, copy the set path line to your c:\autoexec.bat ... this is a little tricky if your computer is networked. Networks often re-arrange your path.

Hope this helps,

-Alan

--- Catherine Berridge wrote:

---------------------------------
Dear Free Pascal

Help!
I'm new to this programming business. I think I've successfully installed free pascal but after that I'm lost. Where am I supposed to be typing the commands? I've tried typing into the MSDOS applications things but they all claim to be FINISHED and won't let me. I also don't know how to set the path as commanded by the installation programme.

Please help!

Cathy

P.S I think I'm supposed to mention that I'm not subscribed to the mailing lists.

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In reply to your message of August 5, 2003

(Grin) Me too, sort of... I programmed professionally in DOS a long time ago and am just now getting back into the Pascal swing of things in Windows. It's quite the steep learning curve.

First I'd suggest you head for: http://www.bloodshed.net/devpascal.html and download the version with the Free Pascal compiler included... It's about half way down the page. This will install the FPC system in a ready to use mode, where you can begin typing up programs in the supplied windows based editor. The compiler should be pre-set to work correctly... so until you are ready to climb into the belly of it you can use the default settings.

You should also take a look at: http://www.friends-of-fpc.org/ where the author has kindly put up a mini-course in pascal programming for windows.

Of course there is the magic word: Read! There are quite a few very good books out there on pascal programming. It's not a difficult language --at least it doesn't read like Klingon Secret Code-- but it does take a bit of learning to really appreaciate it's abilities. The FPC docs and examples (get them from the FPC homepage if you don't have them) are very helpful, especially if you are like me and learn best by tampering with the examples.

There are a couple of pretty good online tutorials for Pascal: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/TK_Boyd/Tut.htm and http://www.marcocantu.com/epascal/English/default.htm

are both very interesting reads. The second one is a downloadable book (90+ pages), filled with most of the basic information you need about Pascal programming.

Then finally... there really is only one way to truly learn programming... by doing it... as you struggle through each bug, messup and mistake you will learn lessons you won't soon forget (at least I don't). The more you do it the easier it gets. Start with a few simple console programs (i.e. programs that run in dos windows) until you get the hang of the language structure and syntax and then move over to windows once you've written a couple of simple programs of your own, it will save you a *lot* of headaches.

-----
L D Blake

Hi All,
could someone point me where to find the sqlite.pas for FP to use with Linux Linux?
Any hint or examples is welcome.
jilani

Jilani Khaldi wrote

Hi All, could someone point me where to find the sqlite.pas for FP to use with Linux Linux?

Excellent someone else that wishes to use sqlite with FPC :) I'll attach all relevant sources... However a TDataset class still needs to be written (although not 100% necessary). I can't write it though, no knowledge of Datasets...

cheers
James

A TSQLLiteQuery would seem more like it. I actually need to add some basic SQL functionality to a product without going the whole hod and using Interbase (big overhead to process a simple query once in a blue moos) so this is something I might look into. This is something I could justifably do in working hours (unlike source code merge util) so it has more likelihood of happening sooner rather than later.

Installed Gentoo today (mainly to set up dedicated Perforce server and telnet/ftp machine), so I'll give FPC Linux a whirl in the next week or so ;-)

Matt

Let me know if you find a TDataSet class that'll work with FPC and Sqlite on Linux. Cause I haven't yet... There are some around on torry.net but they're for delphi using windows. I've asked the author if he could convert it to FPC for linux but without much luck atm.

I say this because you're going to run into pascal string problems like I have.

cheers
James

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Can you point it out to me ? Normally it should compile as-is.

Michael.

Let me know if you find a TDataSet class that'll work with FPC and Sqlite on Linux. Cause I haven't yet... There are some around on torry.net but they're for delphi using windows. I've asked the author if he could convert it to FPC for linux but without much luck atm.

However I couldn't get SQLITE to work with FPC :-( under Linux while under Winodze it works fine!

I get:
Inconsistency detected by ld.so: dl.minimal.c: 128: realloc: Assertion 'ptr == alloc_last_block' failed!

What can I do to get it work?

Thanks!

ps.
sqlite.pp and sqlitedb.pp are compiled without error.

jilani

[ Charset ISO-8859-15 unsupported, converting... ]

Do you use unit cmem ? If not try to add cmem to the USES line of your mainprogram.

Do you use unit cmem ? If not try to add cmem to the USES line of your mainprogram.

That is. Thank you very much!

jilani

I've given up on finding a TDataset class that'll work with FPC and SQLite. ;)

cheers
James