This section is rather technical and not for the BASIC programmer. This section details how to compile the ScriptBasic interpreter so that it already includes some of the external modules. This requires knowledge how to compile C programs and some programming practice of C is also helpful. If you just want to program in BASIC do not read this section and get distracted by this, skip to the next section.
ScriptBasic supports external modules that are usually delivered as DLL or SO files and using them do not require the recompilation of the interpreter. However in some cases there is a need to compile the ScriptBasic interpreter and some of the external modules into a single executable image. This may be the case when you deliver a solution to a customer and want to build a special version of the interpreter lessening the possibility of misconfiguration or you just simply want to protect your intellectual property implemented in the external module and do not want to deliver it as DLL or SO file. Linking some modules static into the interpreter also provides some speed improvement.
To link some modules into the interpreter you have to create a file named `lmt_XXX.def'. This file should list the names of the modules that you want to statically link. There can be empty lines and lines starting with the character # as comment. You can use the characters XXX (not necessarily three character, but try to avoid the word httpd and none as we have already have those) to distinguish your compilation.
After the file is created issue the command:
perl lmt_make.pl lmt_XXX.def
This will create the file lmt_XXX.c.
THIS IS CHANGED TOTALLY FOR v1.0BUILD30 and ABOVE. TO BE REWRITTEN ALTER. ACTUALLY ALL THESE THINGS SHOULD GO INTO THE DEVELOPERS GUIDE!!
If you look into the file `lmt_XXX.c' you will see that the module tables are referenced by the global table StaticallyLinkedModules. You have to give the name of the function as a string as well as the function as well. This table will be searched by ScriptBasic when the module is "loaded". When a module is loaded from a DLL or SO file such a table is provided by the operating system and is searched by operating system functions.
The next step is to compile the modules for the static linking. This is a bit different from compiling for DLL or SO file as result. When the module is compiled to be linked into a DLL or SO file all interface functions should be exported so that the operating system can access their name and entry point. When the module is compiled to be linked together with the interpreter all functions should be static. If we compiled the module the same way as for targeting DLL or SO file we were not able to link more than one module into the interpreter because the linker would complain about multiple defined versmodu and other functions that are defined in each module.
To compile a module for static linking you should use the compilation option `-DSTATIC_LINK=1' that tells the C preprocessor to define some macros differently than normal. If you look into the `Makefile' or `Makefile.nt' you will see that these compilation options are already there and all module interface files can be compiled using the tool make to its static version which is named `s_module.o[bj]'. The prefix s_ is used to denote that this version of the object file was compiled from the same C source using the options that are required for static linking of the interpreter.
Choose an appropriate executable name XXX for your version and edit the Makefile. Create the rule that compiles your version. Your version will eventually use `lmt_XXX.c' and `lmt_XXX.o[bj]' instead of `lmt_none.*' and the executable will depend on the source and should be linked with the compiled object files and libraries of the modules. As an example you can look at the variation sbhttpd that includes the CGI and the MT module linked into it.
Type
make XXX
And you should get your executable.