The compiler generates this file for the linker. I do not know if the linker supports this.

Simply suggest c:\pp as the standard directory.
Why would you install Free Pascal under Program files ? It will be a pain to use, don't forget this is a command-line tool ! If you ever tried to run a command that resides under program files from the prompt, you'll know what I mean.

Any easy solutions so that I can distrbute this installer today?

No easy ones, except not installing it there.
(
you should be banned from the programmer's society for doing so in the first place, in my opinion :)
)

Michael.

It doesn't, that is the problem. I would like to see the compiler generate the file with short names.

Simply suggest c:\pp as the standard directory.

I can do that but as you have just stated that is all I can do, 'suggest'.

Why would you install Free Pascal under Program files ?

Well....I guess.....because it's a program. Gee, that is where Delphi is, Builder is, Java is, etc.etc.etc. Why wouldn't FPC be there????

It will be a pain to use, don't forget this is a command-line tool !

Maybe to you it is. FPIDE already exists to use FPC as a GUI tool and as soon as Lazarus is further along it will also be a GUI tool.

If you ever tried to run a command that resides under program files from the prompt, you'll know what I mean.

If you look at the way Cliff (and now myself) have setup the distrubution it uses batch files so that it can be run right from Explorer no command line needed, at least as far as the user can tell.

> Any easy solutions so that I can distrbute this installer today?

I can suggest that for now but that is not an acceptable solution.

Why??????

Whether I put it there or you put it there, or whether we think it should be there or not, SOMEBODY is going to WANT to put it there. FPC better be able to handle it.

Greetings,

I have created a complete installation package for the Windows version of Free Pascal. It lets you install it any place on your machine that you wish. It configures the autoexec.bat it also rewrites the ppc386.cfg to use the installation location for files. All works great except for one little problem.

The problem is in the generated link.res file. For one of the SEARCH_DIR lines it is using the longfiles name for a directory instead of the short file name. It only occurs with the one line. When this is changed to match the others everything works great. Below is an excerp from the link.res file so you can see the problem.

What generates this link.res file and can we get it to use convert to use the short file names? Onces this is fixed it will be possible to install Free Pascal anyplace on your machine.

Any easy solutions so that I can distrbute this installer today?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SEARCH_DIR(C:\PROGRA~1\PP\rtl\win32\)
SEARCH_DIR(C:\PROGRA~1\PP\units\win32\)
SEARCH_DIR(C:\PROGRA~1\PP\source\rtl\win32\)
SEARCH_DIR(C:\program files\pp\bin\win32\)
INPUT(
C:\PROGRA~1\PP\rtl\win32\wprt0.ow
compileroptions.ow
dialogs.ow

Michael (H):

I'd suggest you go ahead with the installation program with the stated provision of using only short filenames for install. I realize that you want to do things "right" and have a working, flexible install but I would think that most of the people using the program are capable of following a readme file. I would also suspect that most developers have encountered long filename problems in the past (especially with the ridiculous 'program files' directory) and wouldn't want to install fpc there anyway.

If the linker doesn't support it, the compiler can generate what it wants, if the linker doesn't eat it, you're stuck.

There are actually 3 directories in my program files dir:

- Borland Shared\BDE (for the BDE)
- Commone Files\Microsoft shared (DAO and so on)
- Windows NT (Wordpad and pinball)

And only because I cound't configure it it go somewhere else. All the rest is somewhere else.

Just keep in mind the linker problem :-)

If you touch autoexec.bat to accomplish this, it won't work on NT. (- just a reminder, I have experience with weird setups :( -)

Nothing I can say against that :-)

The problem is not FPC, it doesn't mind spaces. the problem is the linker. I will see what I can do. Normally, putting a \ in front of a space should do the trick. Could you test that please ? I am not under NT at the moment, and won't be accessing it till monday. If you test it, I can apply a fix tonight !

Michael.

I don't have a problem with this and will put out the installation as is with a caveat in the beginning warning of where it should be installed for now. However while this would solve the "program files" kind of problem it doesn't totally solve the problem. This in no way prevents a user from creating a subdirectory in the \pp directory called

"\pp\my cool program"

Then when they try to build it, it blows up and we get all sorts of questions on why it doesn't work. So it really does need to be corrected because it will happen and it will happen alot once we get this thing going more and out into the general novice programmers hands.

If the linker doesn't support it, the compiler can generate what it wants, if the linker doesn't eat it, you're stuck.

If you look at the sample link.res I included before the first couple of lines are correct it is just the 5th one I think that use the long name. If the compiler would create that as "progra~1" instead of "program files" then it links correctly. I manually changed it and everything linked correctly.

If you touch autoexec.bat to accomplish this, it won't work on NT. (- just a reminder, I have experience with weird setups :( -)

Touch in what way??? All I am doing is adding a directory to the PATH environment variable. Doesn't NT use this?

The problem is not FPC, it doesn't mind spaces.

I don't know how FPC GOT the spaces. Everything that was passed to it in the .cfg and by command line used the short file name (progra~1). This had to be something that the compiler generates and adds on its own.

the problem is the linker.

Of this I am fully aware. It is just that the link.res commands for the linker need to be generated correctly.

I will see what I can do. Normally, putting a \ in front of a space should do the trick. Could you test that please ? I am not under NT at the moment, and won't be accessing it till monday. If you test it, I can apply a fix tonight !

I'm downloading the files from Cliffs site again to build another install here in my office and I give it a try at that time. I don't understand though how a "\" in front of the space helps. Won't the linker assume that is a subdirectory?

Michael (H):

I'd suggest you go ahead with the installation program with the stated provision of using only short filenames for install. I realize that you want to do things "right" and have a working, flexible install but I would think that most of the people using the program are capable of following a readme file. I would also suspect that most developers have encountered long filename problems in the past (especially with the ridiculous 'program files' directory) and wouldn't want to install fpc there anyway.