Frequently Asked Questions for Fortran PowerStation 32

• Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation 32 for Windows NT and Windows 95, version 4.0

SUMMARY

The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Microsoft Fortran PowerStation.

MORE INFORMATION

Q. Can I install Fortran PowerStation on a network?

A. Yes, you can. Instructions for installing and administering Fortran

   PowerStation on a network are located in the file \FPSSETUP\NETWORK.BAT.
   Network installation is only possible with the Fortran PowerStation CD.

   FPSSetup directory remain in the Fortran PowerStation program  group in
   Windows NT 3.51?

   This is the way the setup works. The SETUP.EXE file itself is deleted
   properly, but not the \FPSSETUP directory.

   project?

   you want to change it to another type, such as QuickWin, you must start
   over. The same applies if you have a project that you want to use as the
   basis for another similar project of a different type.

A. By design, the keywords are colored without any knowledge of context.

   Microsoft Developer Studio has no compiler parser. For example, if you
   have a variable with the name "end", it will be colored because there is
   a valid statement with the same name.

A. No, the code coloring is not available for user-defined data types.

Q. Can I save the Watch or Variables windows in the debugger?

A. In the past you were able to save the various windows that the debugger

   used as files. You can no longer do this with the Watch and Variables
   windows. However, you can copy the content to the Clipboard and paste it
   in a file.

A. When you display an assumed-size array, it expands to display the first

   element of the left-most index. If, for example, you have an array A(3),
   you only see A(1) in the array expansion in the Watch, Quickwatch, and
   Variables windows. If, on the other hand, you have a multidimensional
   array such as A(2,2,2) when it is expanded, you see A(1,1,1), A(2,1,1),
   A(1,2,1), A(2,2,1). Assumed-size arrays have many restrictions on them
   in source code. If you want to look at the rest of the array, you need
   to use the Memory window.

   breakpoint only stops the first time through when debugging. For
   example, if I said DO N=1,100, I would expect to stop on the line 100
   times, yet I only stop there once. Why does this occur?

   set a breakpoint on a source line, a breakpoint is set on the first
   instruction in a group of assembly instructions. A simple DO loop
   consists of about a dozen assembly lines. The first half sets up the
   variables and the last half decrements the variables and checks for loop
   termination. When you set a breakpoint on the source line, you are
   actually setting a breakpoint on the initialization code. If you step
   through this in disassembly mode you can follow what is happening. If
   you want to set a breakpoint that stops at each loop iteration, you can
   do one of the following:

    - Set the breakpoint on the first source line inside the DO loop.

      - or -

    - Select Disassembly from the View menu after the debugger has been
      started, and set the breakpoint on the loop code.

   handled" in the Debug\Exceptions menu, the debugger does not stop even
   if divide-by-zero is not handled. It does stop if "Stop always" is
   selected. Why?

   errors, are handled by the system with the response of terminating
   whatever is causing the error unless told otherwise. The debugger stops
   only if "Stop always" is selected in Debug\Exceptions menu. This
   behavior is by design.

   "Invalid debug info" error. If I put slashes (/) around it, I get a
   syntax error. Why?

   the Variables window. Common block variables that are not local cannot
   be watched.

   For example: "An application error has occurred and an  application
   error log is being generated. Exception: access  violation (0xc0000005),
   Address: 0x004100d8" is returned and the  program crashes.

      INCLUDE 'FLIB.FI'
      INCLUDE 'FLIB.FD'
      PRINT*, 'Test'
      END

      LOGICAL*4 FUNCTION InitialMenu
      INCLUDE 'FLIB.FD'
      print*, 'Test'
      InitialMenu = .TRUE.
      END

   isn't there yet. Writing to an external file does work. InitialMenu
   should not attempt to alter any QuickWin windows through I/O, graphics
   routines, OPENs, and others.

A. No. The compiler cannot detect errors caused by mismatches in the

   number or types of the arguments to callback routines.

   application?

   A. No. This is a known limitation. PEEKCHARQQ does not work in standard
      graphics or in QuickWin applications.

A. When the argument to GETGTEXTEXTENT is a variable, any trailing

   spaces are included in the calculation.

   Win32 API's need this information.

      type mytype
         integer a
         real b
      end type
      type (mytype) dummyarray(2)
      integer size
      size= loc(dummyarray(2)) - loc(dummyarray(1))
      print*, size

   PowerStation 1.0 but generates a compiler error message when compiled
   with Fortran PowerStation 4.0?

   The error occurs when a function is declared with a varname*length, but
   a regular variable is okay when it is declared that way.

      INTEGER I*4   !This is okay
      END

      INTEGER FUNCTION X()*4   !This causes a compilation error
      END

   varname*length expression with the function declaration.

   program?

   The following code compiles cleanly under Fortran PowerStation 1.0 but
   generates a compilation error under PowerStation 4.0. This error occurs
   because of the use of the RETURN statement in the main program.

     i=1
     RETURN   !This line produces a compilation error
     END

   the error" message, remove the RETURN statement from the main Avoid
   program.

   an EXTERNAL statement? For example:

      block data foo
      common /g/ i
      data i /1/
      end

   previous example "_FOO" in the .obj file. This feature might be useful
   when sharing the DLL data. See the Readme section in Books Online for
   more information.

   the Command fl32 /? doesn't work. Why?

   driver program picks it up and thinks that it is a flag. For example:

      Command line warning D2009: unrecognized flag /F ignored.
      Command line warning D2009: unrecognized flag /L ignored.
      Command line error D2003: missing source filename

   If you have a root directory with a name that is one character long,
   then "fl32 /?" gives you an error like those above instead of giving you
   the Help page. Use "fl32 -?" as a workaround.

A. If you are using the CD-ROM version of Fortran PowerStation 4.0, you can

   gain access to Help for Windows API's by selecting Open Information
   Title from the Help menu in Microsoft Developer Studio, and then
   choosing the Win32 Software Development Kit title. You can also click
   the InfoViewer toolbar in Microsoft Developer Studio to open this title.