Chapter 4: Using Projects

This chapter explains how to use projects to manage your software development activities.

Overview

Mainframe Express makes it easy for you to manage your source code and its associated build process by grouping source files and build commands together into a project. The build process can include tasks such as preprocessing and compiling.

A project is a representation of all the source files (with dependencies) and build commands used to create your application or program. This information is held in a file with the extension .mvp. When you open a project (.mvp) file, its contents are shown graphically in a window known as the Project View. The Project View is your 'home base' when using Mainframe Express. From this window you can add and delete files, open files for editing and debugging and specify options for compiling and project-handling.

See the following for more information:

• The Benefits of Using a Project
• Creating a Project
• Building a Project
• Project Settings
• Build Settings
• Updating Dependencies
• Compacting Projects
• Exporting Projects in XML Format

For a description of the Project View, see the section The Project View in the chapter The Mainframe Express Interface.

For more detailed information about compiling COBOL programs, including the use of Compiler directives, see the chapter Compiling COBOL Programs in your IDE Technical Guide.

The Benefits of Using a Project

If you are used to compiling and linking individual modules of code separately, you might wonder if the benefits derived from the additional effort involved in setting up a project are worthwhile. In fact, although it may take a little time to set up a project initially, the savings in time you make when working on your project more than compensate for this in all but the very smallest of programming tasks.

The main benefits of using a project for your work are:

• One file loading. Simply open your project file and you are ready to edit, compile and debug any file in your project.
• A visual representation of the structure of your application, with instant access to any of its modules, copybooks and even data files
• Automated compilation and building of your project or any part of it, using directives that you have preset. Eliminates the need for batch and directive files.
• Intelligent incremental builds save you time by recompiling only modules that have changed, together with modules that are dependent upon them. You no longer need to remember dependencies - just click Build.
• Enables different developers to work on separate modules while maintaining consistency in the build. Anyone can build your project without needing to know details of the directives or build methods used.

When you use projects in Mainframe Express, you are able to spend less time on routine chores, such as configuring tools and managing your code and more time on productive tasks, such as programming and debugging.

Creating a Project

The sequence of steps to follow when you create a project are:

1. Create a project using the Project Wizard

   Mainframe Express provides you with a Project Wizard which enables you to create the project's basic framework. You can create a completely new project, copy an existing project, or use a previously-defined template project.

2. Add files to the project

   Populate the basic framework with the relevant files. If you have been using COBOL Workbench and have created a .pop file, you can use this to specify the files to add to your project. If you copy an existing project or use a template project, you can choose to populate the new project with the source files from the original.

3. Specify the Compiler directives you want to use for each source file in your project
4. Rebuild your project

How to ...

Building a Project

The processes that determine how Mainframe Express builds a project are specified in property sheets. These can relate to either the project as a whole or individual files. You can accept the defaults provided or you can finely control how each source file is compiled by changing the settings in its property sheets.

You can define build settings at the individual file level or at the project level, which affects all files in a project. Build settings specified at the file level override those made at the project level.

The following list summarizes the different ways of setting options:

• To specify build settings for all files in a project, select Build Settings for Project on the Project menu
• To change project-wide settings that apply to all files in a project, click Project Settings on the Project menu
• To change the build settings for all files of a certain type, select the Files View of the project, right-click that type's branch in the left-hand pane and select Build Settings for filetype on the popup menu. If Build Settings for Project is displayed on the popup menu instead of Build Settings for filetype, there are no build settings to change for your chosen files' type.
• To change the build settings for an individual file in a project, select the Files View of the project, right-click the file in the Project View's right-hand pane and click Build Settings for filename on the popup menu. The settings you change apply only to that file.
• To change the build settings for multiple files in a project, select the Files View of the project, select the files and right-click in the Project View's right-hand pane. Click Build Settings for x files on the popup menu. The settings you change apply only to those files.

Information on the files in a project is provided under column headings in the right-hand pane of the Project View. For example:

• The Dialect column shows the currently active dialect for COBOL files
• The Options column shows which files in the project are using options different to the project settings
• The Status column indicates the files affected by changes to the build settings, at the individual file level or at the project level

For information about sorting these columns, see Windows Tips in your Getting Started.

With a few mouse clicks, you can use the project settings and build settings to try out different options, update your project with the latest source changes and rebuild dependent files, creating the compiled files into your chosen directory.

• Update the Status column and date and time of last modification, by clicking Update Build Status on the Build menu.
• Update only the date and time of last modification, by clicking Synchronize Workgroup Levels on the Build menu.

Project Settings

Project settings apply to all files in a project. The Project Wizard enables you to create a new project and specify its settings. Any changes that you make in the Project Settings dialog box affect the whole project. None of the settings on the Project Settings dialog box can be overridden on a per-file or per-type basis.

The settings for a project are grouped together as a number of pages on the Project Settings dialog box - see Figure 4-1. Because the settings available depend on the installed product options, you see different pages for different file types on the Project Settings property sheets. Each page has a tab - selecting a page's tab displays that page.

Figure 4-1: The Project Settings Dialog Box

The list below describes the purpose of each page of the Project Settings dialog box and the changes you are most likely to make.

Build Settings

The build settings are grouped together under a number of pages on the Build Settings dialog box - see Figure 4-2. Because the settings available depend on the file type, you see different pages for different file types on the Build Settings property sheets. Each page has a tab - selecting a page's tab displays that page.

Build settings on each page lists the directives that are passed to the relevant compiler at build-time.

Each page also includes an Additional directives box which enables you to specify directives that are not otherwise available from the Build Settings dialog box. Directives you specify in this field are not validated until they are passed to the relevant compiler.

For information on the directives you can specify, see the help topic Compiler Directives by Category

Figure 4-2: The Build Settings Dialog Box

The list below describes the purpose of each page of the Build Settings dialog box.

Updating Dependencies

Dependencies exist when one file includes a link to another file - one file is said to be dependent on the other. For example, a COBOL source file that contains a COPY statement is dependent on the copybook specified in the COPY statement. That is, if the copybook changes, the COBOL source file that uses it needs to be recompiled.

When you perform a build operation, Mainframe Express scans your files for dependencies. It recognizes all changes (new dependent files, changed dependent files and deleted dependent files) and it rebuilds the files affected. As a result, you should not normally need to update dependencies. However, if necessary, you can update the project's dependency chain manually by clicking Update All Dependencies on the Build menu. Alternatively, you can select only the files whose dependencies have changed and click Update Dependencies on the Build menu.

If you are unsure whether or not a file has dependencies, or is a dependent file itself, you can view dependency information by selecting the file then clicking Show Dependencies on the Build menu.

Compacting Projects

You can minimize the size of a project, using either the IDE, or the mfecl command. To minimize a project using the:

• IDE, click Project > Compact .
• Command line, specify the /COMPACT option to the mfecl command. See the help topic Compact project for more information.

Exporting Projects in XML Format

You can export project settings in XML format to another file. This is intended to be of use to an administrator needing to view project settings offline. You do this by specifying the /EXPORTXML option to the mfecl command. See the help topic XML Project Export for more information.

Copyright © 2006 Micro Focus (IP) Ltd. All rights reserved.