PowerBASIC Compilers

What’s new in PowerBASIC Compiler for Windows V10?

• Unicode Support -Mix Unicode and ANSI in the same program. Convert strings to and from OEM, Unicode, ANSI, and UTF-8. Display Unicode characters. Print Unicode characters. Read and write to Unicode files. Conversions from Unicode and ANSI are automatic. You can even select to have a complete Unicode emulation package in your executable or DLL to allow it to run properly on Windows 95, 98, and ME or select to have the runtime only use ANSI API routines.
• Resources -You can add resource data inline, right in your BASIC source code. There is no need to create a resource file, compile it, and then link it into your source. All this done automatically. Add bitmaps, icons, manifests, strings, type libraries, wave files, version information, and even binary data (RCDATA). Of course, .RC, .PBR, and .RES files are still supported. The inline resource support simplifies adding resources to your program or DLL.
• Static Link Libraries -Static Link Libraries (SLLs) consist of a set of Classes, Subs, and Functions that are compiled into a machine-code library. A SLL is the perfect vehicle for third-party code, because it creates a single final module that does not require source code to be distributed. It allows you to create a group of your own libraries that you know function correctly and don't require any further debugging. It also offers big advantages to larger group programming projects to control distribution of various elements. Multiple SLL modules may be collected into a Power Library, which is linked as a single item. Creating an SLL could not be easier. All it takes is a single #COMPILE SLL at the top of your module source code. When you wish to use the SLL code in a host program, you simply use #LINK "MyLib.SLL" and the contents are automatically embedded in the new .EXE or .DLL. It's just that simple.
• Graphics -The built in graphics engine has been expanded to support virtual graphic windows and controls, clipping regions, scrolling text, text wrapping, and much more. Create a virtual graphic control or window that displays the contents of a larger virtual window. Scroll bars are added so the user can move the viewport to the desired section. There is even an option to allow the user to "drag" the edges of a graphic window to a new size. Graphic controls can now be resized. Graphic windows can be made noncloseable by the user. Work with rows and columns in a graphic window or control, similar to the DOS or Console LOCATE statement. GRAPHIC PRINT now supports POS(n), SPC(n), and TAB(n) functions for even more control over printing text. There's even a new Text window specially designed for text display and input, just like a Console window, but more attractive.
• Dynamic Dialog Tools -Dynamic Dialog Tools (DDT) have been expanded with CONTROL ADD HEADER and the HEADER statement for adding and manipulating a Header control. LISTVIEW GET HEADERID has been added to retrieve the handle and ID of the header in a ListView for advanced handling of the header control. Make dialogs and graphic windows unclosable. Show and hide dialogs and controls. Improved support for menus. Floating context menus are now supported. Improved Tab control support. The METRICS function retrieves information or dimensions of system elements. Get the width and height of different types of borders, scrollbars, minimum and maximum window sizes, and more.
• Threads -Creating multi-threaded applications is easier than ever. The built-in THREAD object that offers a collection of methods which allow you to easily create and maintain additional threads of execution in your programs. Functions, Subroutines, Methods, and Properties can even be marked as THREADSAFE. When a procedure is declared THREADSAFE, PowerBASIC automatically establishes a semaphore which allows only one thread to execute it at a time. Others must wait until the first thread exits the THREADSAFE procedure before they are allowed to begin. This is important to protect global data (global, threaded, static, and instance variables) from corruption by interaction of the threads.
• Optimization -#OPTIMIZE has been expanded with #OPTIMIZE CODE. Any unreferenced code will be removed from the compiled program to minimize the executable file size. String handling routines have been dramatically improved in performance. A STRINGBUILDER object for high performance string concatenation has been added. Of course, you can still use BUILD$ to concatenate strings with high efficiency. There has been an improvement in graphic execution speed. Use #ALIGN metastatement to gain ultimate efficiency from critical code sections. Then there's #OPTIMIZE SIZE and #OPTIMIZE SPEED to choose between faster execution or smaller code size.
• Printing -The built in GDI printer engine has been expanded. Use XPRINT PREVIEW to display a replica of a printed document on the screen. Set a clipping region. Wrap text on the printed page. Work with rows and columns on the host printer. XPRINT PRINT now supports POS(n), SPC(n), and TAB(n) functions for even more control over printing text. Limit a print job by set and retrieving the page number limits and selection flag from the Print Dialog which is displayed when XPRINT ATTACH CHOOSE is executed. Many of the XPRINT statements now have a similar function form for use in expressions.
• IDE -Numerous improvements in the IDE have been made. The IDE is now based on tabs rather than MDI children. Up to 36 bookmarks are now supported. Improved undo handling. Quick context-sensitive syntax help is shown on the status bar. Find/Replace can now be set to wrap around the file. Project files have been enhanced to support a list of files, their scrolling position and caret position, a primary file, the active tab, breakpoints, bookmarks, and the debug Watch list. Backup files can now be created with a timestamp, numbered from 0 to 99, or even no backup file if you prefer. There's Print Preview and the new #PAGE metastatement for inserting a page break when printing from the IDE. Improved template files. The Open File dialog for source files now allows selecting multiple files at a time.

PowerBASIC Compiler for Windows is a native code compiler for 32-bit Windows that can be used to make highly efficient EXEs and industry-standard DLLs. Professional level capabilities include Regular Expressions and multi-threading. It also includes a built-in Assembler, a full Macro facility, and much more. The machine code generated by PowerBASIC is among the best in the industry, small in size and and fast in execution speed. It compares favorably with leading compilers of any dialect. The .EXEs PowerBASIC Compiler for Windows creates are single standalone executables which require no run-time libraries, no DLLs, no support files of any kind unless you choose that approach. Source code is compiled at more than one million lines per minute -- hundreds or thousands of times faster than many compilers. A complete IDE is included for program creation and debugging. Among the sample source code projects included with the compiler is a SMTP email client with a graphical user interface that allows you to send an email message to anyone on the Internet. It compiles to a 30k executable.