
                            The compile command
                                      
   Usage
   
   compile [-clean] [-verbose] [[1] compile_to_c_options] <Root-Class>
   [<Root-Procedure>]
   
   Command compile is the SmallEiffel compiler.
   Source code is Eiffel and target code is ANSI C code.
   
   Command compile executes in two major steps:
   
   Step 1 - command compile_to_c is called to produce various C files
   (*.h and *.c). A script file is also produced by command compile_to_c.
   The name of the script file is also printed by command compile_to_c
   (*.make on Unix or *.BAT on DOS for example).
   Step 2 - The script file produced during step 1 is runned, launching
   the C compilation and linking of all the C files produced during the
   previous step .
   
   Thus, command compile is a simple launcher used to sequentially call
   command [2]compile_to_c, the C compiler and the linker.
   
   Like command compile_to_c, command compile must have at least one
   argument to indicate the starting execution point of the system. Thus
   execution will start in <Root-Procedure> of <Root-Class>. The default
   <Root-Procedure> is make.
   
   Options
   
   -clean:
          By default, the generated C files and object files are kept
          from one invocation of command compile to another. This enables
          incremental C compilation, since only the C files which have
          been modified since the last invocation of command compile will
          be recompiled. Because the Eiffel to C compilation performed by
          SmallEiffel is generally much faster than the C compilation
          itself, incremental C compilation saves times. However, there
          are situations where you want to get rid of all the previously
          generated C and object files, to start afresh. This occurs, for
          example, when you change the C compiler options: these new
          options apply only to the C files which are actually recompiled
          (see example 3 below).
          Option -clean removes the C and object files previously
          generated by making command clean be called at the end of the
          compilation.
   -verbose:
          Displays (a lot of) useful information during the compilation
          (full path of loaded files, type inference score, generated
          files, etc).
          
   Examples
   
   Example 1
   When SmallEiffel is correctly installed, you can simply type the
   following command to test the hello world program:
          compile hello_world
          
   The compiler should tell you what's wrong or should compile Eiffel
   source files telling you the full path used to load the Eiffel source
   code.
   Under UNIX, the executable file is named "a.out" by default.
   
   Example 2
   Type following command to finalize the hello_world simple program:
          compile -boost -no_split -O3 hello_world
          
   Note that option -O3 is passed to the C compiler (see the manual of
   your C compiler). Options -boost and -no_split are passed to command
   [3]compile_to_c. This is usually the best way to finalize your
   application.
   Only one C file is produced (option -no_split)
   
   Example 3
   To compile a big project (class PROJECT) with C files splitting and
   require assertions checked:
          compile -require_check project
          
   The very first time, all C files are produced and compiled. Then, if
   you type the same command after some changes in the Eiffel source
   files, all C files are also produced from scratch. If there are only
   minor changes in the generated C files, only modified ones are passed
   to the C compiler (previous object files have been saved).
   Keep in mind that C compiler options are not taken into account. Thus
   if you now want to do:
          compile -require_check project -O3
          
   You must use the clean command before:
          clean project
          
   All C files will be then recompiled using the new C option -O3. You
   are thus sure that the new C options are taken into account.
   
                                   [Line]
   Copyright © Dominique COLNET and Suzanne COLLIN - [4]<colnet@loria.fr>
                  Last update: 05 June 1999, by DC & OZ. 

References

   1. file://localhost/home/colnet/SmallEiffel/man/man/compile_to_c.html
   2. file://localhost/home/colnet/SmallEiffel/man/man/compile_to_c.html
   3. file://localhost/home/colnet/SmallEiffel/man/man/compile_to_c.html
   4. mailto:colnet@loria.fr
