The APPLOADER statement tells the linker to replace the default Windows loader with a custom loader. Use APPLOADER when you want your Windows program to be loaded by a different loader from the one Windows calls automatically at load time. This statement applies only to Windows programs.
Syntax
APPLOADER [[']]loadername[[']]
Remarks
The loadername is an identifier for an externally defined loader. The name is optionally enclosed in single or double quotation marks (' or "). The identifier is an external reference that must be resolved at link time in an object file or static library. It is not case sensitive unless the /NOI option is used with the linker.
When APPLOADER appears in a module-definition file, LINK sets a bit in the header of the executable file to tell Windows that a custom loader is present. At load time, Windows loads only the first segment of the program and transfers control to that segment.
At link time, LINK creates a new logical segment called LOADER_loadername and makes it the first physical segment of the program. LINK places the loadername function in this segment. Nothing else is contained in LOADER_loadername; the /PACKC option does not affect this segment.
Example
The following statement replaces the default loader with a loader called __MSLANGLOAD, which is defined in the Microsoft FORTRAN run-time libraries:
APPLOADER __MSLANGLOAD
Windows programs that use huge arrays will fail unless loaded by the custom loader provided in the default FORTRAN libraries. This statement appears in the default .DEF file used for FORTRAN QuickWin programs.