BBS: Inland Empire Archive
Date: 05-10-92 (14:11) Number: 117
From: DON KROUSE Refer#: NONE
To: TIM FITZGERALD Recvd: NO
Subj: Bc Output Conf: (2) Quik_Bas
TF>It sure would have been nice of MS to explain this in the manuals.
Hi Tim,
The QBNews Vol 1, Issue 2 had the following article:
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A s k M R . W I Z Z A R D
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Ask Mr. Wizard Information from the Microsoft Knowledge Base
The Microsoft Knowledge Base is a service available to
subscribers on Compuserve. It is a database of frequently asked
questions that Microsoft Tech Support uses to find answers to
questions asked to them. The QBNews has been given permission to
reprint some of these answers. You can access the Knowledge Base on
Compuserve by typing GO MSOFT at any ! prompt.
Question: Gee Mr. Wizard, What do the "Bytes Available" and "Bytes
Free" mean when I compile?
Well Tudor . . .
Title: Explanation of Compiler "Bytes Available" and "Bytes Free"
Document Number: Q27347 Publ Date: 16-JAN-1989
Product Name: Microsoft QuickBASIC Compiler
Product Version: 4.00 4.00 4.50
Operating System: MS-DOS
Summary:
At the end of a successful compilation, the BC.EXE compiler displays
the following message:
nnnnn Bytes Available
nnnnn Bytes Free
0 Warning Error(s)
0 Severe Error(s)
This message gives the amount of workspace available before (Bytes
Available) and after (Bytes Free) a program is compiled.
If the Bytes Free is approaching 1024 or less, then you are
approaching the limits of code generation for this module, and you
should break your program into smaller, separately compiled
subprograms or FUNCTION procedures that can be linked together (with
LINK.EXE).
This information applies to QuickBASIC Compiler Versions 1.00, 1.01,
1.02, 2.00, 2.01, 3.00, 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 for MS-DOS, the
Microsoft BASIC Compiler Versions 5.35 and 5.36 for MS-DOS, and
Versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS OS/2 and MS-DOS.
More Information:
The 64K memory segmentation architecture of the 8086 chip has
influenced design limitations of the BASIC Compiler so that it can
only generate 64K or less for a program's code segment. The 64K
temporary work space available for the compiler itself can also limit
code generation.
Bytes Available is the initial amount of compiler workspace available
for storing the symbol table and the line number table, and for
working storage for code generation and optimization.
Bytes Free is the size of unused compiler workspace after the
compiler has finished.
Note: If you want to see the number of bytes that were generated for
a module's code segment, refer to the .MAP file that can be
optionally output from the LINK.EXE linker. The program must have
been successfully compiled and linked to get a valid link .MAP file.
COPYRIGHT Microsoft Corporation, 1989.
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* Origin: Silver Lake Systems * Bothell, WA (1:343/58)
