New DDE User - Thoughts & Feedback

Just signed up for the DDE Toolkit and downloaded the ROOL Source Archive. Thought I’d share my feedback.

DDE Thoughts
1) The DDE link to the file I purchased was available within a few hours of purchase – Good
2) Instructions for installing the DDE was straight forward – Good
3) The Instruction suggest making a skeleton Example file ‘examplemod’ – Could not get it to work. Complained about System Variable ‘PERLTEST’ not found

Overall: Good clean process, that was simple to follow

ROOL Sources
1) Download ROOL Source Archive and associated UntarBZ2 Tool – Easy
2) Uncompress ROOL Sources using UnTarZB2 tool (1) – Could not be achieved without finding a copy of the ‘SharedUnixLibrary’ file and installing it manually into the System folder. No mention of this in the documentation
3) Uncompress ROOL Sources using UnTarZB2 tool (2) – Documentation for UntarBZ2 does not mention what to do when it prompts the user to extract, build scripts, run scripts etc

Overall: The SharedUnixLibrary omission was annoying, but I’m unsure if this is just my own issue or happens with other users. But apart from that, I thought it was relatively easy, but thought it odd that the documentation focused more on the user using the command prompty for UnTarBZ2 than than GUI. Maybe hardcore coders should not use a GUI.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on the overall process.

2) Yes, apparently the bunzip2 tool inside UntarBz2 uses sharedunixlib. I must decompress the sources soon after downloading from Netsurf – which loads sharedunixlibrary – as I’ve not come across this issue before.

but thought it odd that the documentation focused more on the user using the command prompty for UnTarBZ2 than than GUI. Maybe hardcore coders should not use a GUI.

No they just don’t read instructions :-)

SharedUnixLib is available via PackMan, which is pre-installed on all Pi HD images. There’s so many pieces of software that are dependent on it though, I wonder if it should come as part of the OS, as SharedCLib does.

It does come as standard with the RC14 image for the Pi.

I know this is an old thread, but I too have just purchased and installed the ROOL DDE.

3) The Instruction suggest making a skeleton Example file ‘examplemod’ – Could not get it to work. Complained about System Variable ‘PERLTEST’ not found

I get that too. Is there a fix for this? I find it odd that the documentation hasn’t been changed after all this time, or in fact that the problem hasn’t been fixed!

System Variable ‘PERLTEST’ not found

The full error is :-

Can't open perl script "Build:InstViaRG": System variable 'PERLTEST' not found

The missing file is to be found in ROOL’s Build environment

Once that is set up just select any build environment using !Builder and try again, or purloin the missing bit(s) and install them within DDE26.

I find it odd that the documentation hasn’t been changed after all this time, or in fact that the problem hasn’t been fixed!

I would guess that the real issue holding up DDE progress is RPi3 compatibility. UnixLib that is.

HTH.

For what it’s worth, I have never seen the “PERLTEST” error with DDE 25. Do both of you have 26? And I’m possibly asking the obvious here, but have you run SetPaths?

It certainly shouldn’t be necessary to mess around with the actual OS build environment!

The “PERLTEST” error is with DDE26 only, DE25 is good.

It certainly shouldn’t be necessary to mess around with the actual OS build environment!

It is only a bug but it does require working around.

The missing file is to be found in ROOL’s Build environment

Once that is set up just select any build environment using !Builder and try again, or purloin the missing bit(s) and install them within DDE26.

Thanks David. I wasn’t actually planning on building any RISC OS components from CVS/ROOL’s build environment, so wasn’t expecting to need the full ROOL Build environment. I was following the install instructions that has a test to check the installation had worked correctly – but the test fails.

But it doesn’t really matter, I’ve since compiled another program’s source I had and now got it running on my ARMX6.

For what it’s worth, I have never seen the “PERLTEST” error with DDE 25. Do both of you have 26? And I’m possibly asking the obvious here, but have you run SetPaths?

Yes, this is with DDE 26. SetPaths had been run, but there are obviously other requirements in !Builder, that that are required for the Sources.DDE-Examples.Skeletons.examplemod.MkRam to run successfully. Which makes it a bad example to suggest as a demonstration that DDE26 is installed and working correctly.

It certainly shouldn’t be necessary to mess around with the actual OS build environment!

I agree, and as a relative newbie to working with the DDE/AcornC/C++ environment it doesn’t fill you with much faith when you can’t even make it through the ReadMe Installation instructions without an error and a complete failure of the very first attempt at building one of the examples.

If you already have a directory $.AcornC/C++.^.Programming.perl-5_001.!Perl (which is the case from earlier versions of DDE) then you don’t get the error. When I installed DDE on a different machine I had to remember to install that directory as well.

Is it possible to get a copy of just the ABC compiler and !Link at a somewhat reduced cost over the entire DDE?

It will.

If you already have a directory $.AcornC/C++.^.Programming.perl-5_001.!Perl (which is the case from earlier versions of DDE) then you don’t get the error. When I installed DDE on a different machine I had to remember to install that directory as well.

Interestingly DDE26 comes supplied with Programming.perl-5_001.!Perl. It seems that the problem is Sources.DDE-Examples.Skeletons.examplemod.MkRam requires the perl script “Build:InstViaRG” which isn’t supplied anywhere with DDE26.

Using DDE26.

After running !SetPaths Build:, that is Build$Path, resolves to :-

*show build*
Build$Path : ADFS::Titan4.$.Progm.AcornC/C++.AcornC/C++.!SetPaths.Lib32.Build.
*

Place a copy of InstViaGR liberated from a ROOL download build environment in that location and ‘examplemod’ builds.

DDE25 is OK. The issue in DDE26 is within the global CModule makefile AcornC/C++.Makefiles.CModule – this bit :-

o.${RES_OBJ}: resources-${CMDHELP} ${DIRS}
        ${INSTVIARG} ${MERGEDRDIR} ${RES_PATH} o._ResGen_
        ${RESGEN} ${RES_AREA} $@ -via o._ResGen_

This is InstViaRG from the ROOL build environment.

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

# Copyright (c) 2015, RISC OS Open Ltd
# All rights reserved.
#
# Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 
#     * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
#       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
#     * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
#       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
#       documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
#     * Neither the name of RISC OS Open Ltd nor the names of its contributors
#       may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
#       without specific prior written permission.
#
# THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
# AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
# IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
# ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
# LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
# CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
# SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
# INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
# CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
# ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
# POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

# Script to produce a 'resgen' compatible via file of the resources that
# would be exported by a C modules during the 'resources' phase, useful to
# allow the module to have a RAM loading 'standalone' variant too.

use strict;

my $posix = -e '.';
my $verbose = 0;
my $localdir;
my $resfsdir;
my $viafile;

sub usage
{
	die(<<EOF);
Usage: $0 [-h] [-v] <local dir> <ResourceFS dir> <viafile>
-h               Print this help.
-v               Verbose.
<local dir>      Directory where the files reside.
                 This must use the system's native filesystem syntax.
<ResourceFS dir> Target directory in ResourceFS.
                 This should be in RISC OS format - directory separator is '.'
<viafile>        Where to write the result.                 
                 This must use the system's native filesystem syntax.
EOF
}

sub scandir
{
	my $src = $_[0];
	my $dst = $_[1];
	my $srcpath;
	my $dstpath;
	my $sep = $posix ? '/' : '.';
	my $leafname;
	my $baselen = length($_[2]);
	my $via = $_[3];
	local (*DIR);

	# Catalogue the candidate directory
	opendir(DIR, $src) or die $!;
	while ($leafname = readdir(DIR))
	{
		# Hide '.' names on Posix
		next if ($leafname =~ m/^\./);
		$srcpath = $src . $sep . $leafname;
		$dstpath = $dst . substr($srcpath, $baselen);
		if (-f $srcpath)
		{
			# It's a file, append to the via file
			open(VIA, ">>$via") or die $!;
			print VIA "$srcpath $dstpath\n";
			close(VIA);
		}
		else
		{
			# The wobbly Perl 5.001 (distributed by ROOL) seems to explode
			# all to easily when recursing even if just moving args about
			scandir($srcpath, $_[1], $_[2], $_[3]);
		}
	}
	closedir(DIR);
}

# Parse the command line

usage() unless (@ARGV);

while (1)
{
	$_ = $ARGV[0];
	last if /^[^-]/;
	shift;
	# -h or --help
	usage() if (/^-h$/ || /^--help$/);
	# -v
	$verbose += /^-v$/;
}
usage() unless (@ARGV);
$localdir = shift;
usage() unless (@ARGV);
$resfsdir = shift;
usage() unless (@ARGV);
$viafile = shift;

# Output a via file relating candidate leafnames to ResourceFS paths

print "Scan $localdir for files to put in $resfsdir\n" if $verbose;
unlink($viafile);
scandir($localdir, $resfsdir, $localdir, $viafile);
exit(0);

I have just noticed a subtlety, from AcornC/C++.ReadMe/txt the example suggested is the one that does not work with DDE26 as provided.

* Open "Sources.DDE-Examples"

* Open one of the example folders (e.g. "Skeletons.examplemod")

* Run the MkRam (or Mk) script to build a RAM-loadable version of that
    component

OTOH the “Support” section of that ReadMe does say what to do on not finding the
support needed on the forums.

HTH.