making final .exe

TemplarBarna

Hi,

I've made an application with C++ Builder 5.

When I say application, it's really just a simple form with a few components on it.

The .exe file in the projects dir runs fine on this pc, but when I transfer it over to another pc, it doesn't work. I get errors about a missing link library VCL50.bpl.

Any ideas?

Appreciate any help.

T.

cgarvey

Sounds like you're missing the runtime library/libraries required. Read up the help and search for deploy or runtime library.

.cg

jessy

cgarvey wrote:

Sounds like you're missing the runtime library/libraries required. Read up the help and search for deploy or runtime library.

.cg

Yep defiantly. You need to make an install out of your .exe, probably from a third party piece of software. What it dose is it gathers all the runtime files needed for your Project to run on a Machine that doesn’t have C++ Builder 5

daymobrew

Can the runtime libraries be linked into the application? I know you can do this in Microsoft Developer Studio for C apps.
It will bulk up the executable, possibly quite a bit (a 30k exe could become 300k but it's not always a 1:10 ratio), but you won't have to have an installer which might scare people off. People will want to run the app NOW. We're an impatient lot.

lynchie

Yes the RT libs can be compiled in to the exe. Done it before but I cant remember how to do it again. Its under the project settings afaik. Dont have a copy installed atm so cant give you the exact steps.

jessy

This is not a good idea because for a visual project the runtime libraries will be fecken massive and if your hopping to build one exe from all of these libraries then there’s a good chance that the exe will be to big to run on some machines. i not sure how big but for a small visual app you could be looking a 50-70mb.

daymobrew

jessy wrote:

This is not a good idea because for a visual project the runtime libraries will be fecken massive and if your hopping to build one exe from all of these libraries then there’s a good chance that the exe will be to big to run on some machines. i not sure how big but for a small visual app you could be looking a 50-70mb.

50-70 MB??? Would it follow that when you create an installer and include the required libraries that it will take up 50 - 70 MB? If not, how can the app become that big?

My Visual C++ experience bumped an MFC app from 30k to 350k. The full list of MFC libraries totalled more than 320k (350-30) but the linker is intelligent enough to exclude functions that my app didn't call.

TemplarBarna - I suppose you can always do a static link and see if the size of the resulting app is acceptable. No harm in trying.

jessy

It is for visual project (im not taking about MS VS or Borland C++ Builder) just in general, ActiveX controls are fairly large. Depends home many defferent types you use. it will push up the size of the project. "50K -350k" you must be talking about CMD Line programs.

daymobrew

jessy wrote:

you must be talking about CMD Line programs.

I am talking about a 1400 line MFC multi-threaded (well, two) unicode GUI app.
Release version is 36k with MFC dynamically linked, 139k with MFC statically linked. Debug version is 1.5MB with MFC statically linked. Screen shot attached.

Of course, if Active X controls are included it will probably bump it up, but I didn't think they could be statically linked in because they have to be registered.

dazberry

The project is being compiled with RunTime packages enabled - something like Project | Options | Packages | [x] Build with Runtime Packages. I'm not exactly sure where that option is in BCB5.

Disable this and the problem will go away

/Edit: VCL50.bpl is nothing to do with Active X controls.

D.