With "deflang" Switch, PWB Prompts for Setting Program List

ID: Q64353

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Programmer's Workbench for MS-DOS, version 1.0
Microsoft Programmer's Workbench for OS/2, version 1.0

SUMMARY

As documented on page 79 of the "Microsoft C Reference" shipped with C version 6.0 and in the online help, the "deflang" switch in the Programmer's WorkBench (PWB) sets the default filename extension for list boxes in PWB dialog boxes. Another (undocumented) feature of this switch is to enable you to be prompted to "Set Program List?" when loading a source file with a .MAK file associated with it in the current directory.

MORE INFORMATION

By default, "deflang" is not set. You can set the deflang switch in the [PWB] tagged section of the TOOLS.INI file, for example:

deflang:C

This changes the default filename extension in PWB's dialog boxes (such as Open in the File menu) from "*.*" to "*.c", so that only files with the .c extension show up by default. Other languages can be specified as well, as shown below:


   Switch Setting     Extension
   --------------     ---------
   no value            .*
   C                   .c
   Asm                 .asm
   BASIC               .bas
   FORTRAN             .for
   Pascal              .pas
   COBOL               .cbl
   LISP                .lsp

Note that the online documentation specifies "Assembler" as the switch to use for .ASM files, but this is incorrect. "Asm" is the correct switch to use to make Assembler the default language.

The deflang switch also enables you to be prompted as to whether or not the program list should be set automatically. If you load a file that has the extension specified by the "deflang" switch and you also have a .MAK file with the same base filename in the same directory, PWB will prompt you about loading the program list.

For example, assume that deflang is set to C, and TEST.MAK and TEST.C are in the same directory. If you type PWB TEST.C at the command-prompt, PWB will pause when loading and prompt with "Set Program List? TEST.MAK". At this point you can specify yes or no.

When already in PWB, if you choose Open from the File menu, and select TEST.C as the file to open, PWB will also prompt you at this point regarding whether or not you want TEST.MAK loaded as the program list, but only if NO program list is currently set.

Note that beginning with PWB version 1.1, command-line switches are provided that allow the automatic loading of a program list.

Additional query words: kbinf 1.00 1.10 PWBIss

Keywords : kb16bitonly
Version : MS-DOS:1.0; OS/2:1.0
Platform : MS-DOS OS/2
Issue type :