🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <18159@sunquest.UUCP> spg@alpha.sunquest.com writes:
>does anyone know how to reduce the size of a Clipper-compiled, RTLinked
>executable file, mine seem to have a minimum size of around 220KB.  This
>_seems_ kinda ridicklwockle for source code in the 4KB range...  So, I thought
>I'd ask around.
>
>Steve (SPG6)
>spg@alpha.sunquest.com

The answer is yes and no.  You can shrink the physical .EXE file with one
of the PK-LITE variety compressors that auto-uncompress at load time.  Same
RAM footprint however.  You can use the /PLL option of .RTLink which could
result in something near 10 - 20 K for the .EXE file (I've seen short
routines in the 6K area) though that is a packaging mod.  The remainder
of the code resides on the disk in a .PLL file.  Benefit there is that
dozens of little "utility" type .EXE files can share the single .PLL so
you're ahead on the second one (same RAM footprint though).

Depending upon what you're doing, you can leave out the database drivers if
you aren't accessing .DBF files.  You can leave out the screen drivers if
you use the most basic output mechanism DEVOUT().

If you open a .DBF file and use absolute cursor positioning and the GET/READ
stuff for data entry you may not get to the exact same size in C but it isn't
a 5K program in any language.

I assume that you're using version 5.0 so you can reduce the RAM footprint
by using LOCAL and STATIC vars (stop all use of PUBLIC and PRIVATE), convert
macros to extended expressions whenever possible and to code blocks whenever
it isn't.  And the good news is that the 5.01 update disk is being shipped
and if you're a registered 5.0 you will receive it automatically and without
cost (hopefully in the next few days).

tom
(ex-Senior Systems Analyst / Nantucket Corp.)