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Q27993: Creating a Quick Library (.QLB) from a LINK Library (.LIB)

Article: Q27993
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 2.00 2.01 3.00 4.00 4.00b 4.50
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | B_BasicCom S_LINK | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 20-SEP-1990

The LINK.EXE utility can create a Quick library (.QLB) file from a
LINKer library (.LIB) file. This can be done by using the LINK /Q
option and the following syntax

   LINK xxxx.LIB /Q,,,BQLB40.LIB;

where xxxx.LIB is your own .LIB library for which you want to make a
Quick library. Also, you must link to the appropriate BQLBxx.LIB
support library as follows: for QuickBASIC 4.00 and Microsoft BASIC
Compiler 6.00, use BQLB40.LIB; for QuickBASIC 4.00b and BASIC compiler
6.00b, use BQLB41.LIB; for QuickBASIC 4.50, use BQLB45.LIB.

This information applies to Microsoft QuickBASIC versions 4.00, 4.00b,
and 4.50 for MS-DOS, and to Microsoft BASIC Compiler versions 6.00 and
6.00b for MS-DOS.

Also, at the bottom of this article is a method to build a QuickBASIC
version 2.00, 2.01, or 3.00 run-time user library from .LIB libraries.
Run-time user libraries are created and used differently than the
Quick libraries found in later versions.

Note that Quick libraries (.QLB files) can only be used in the QB.EXE
environment (and are loaded with the /L option).

The QuickBASIC manual describes methods for creating Quick libraries
using either .OBJ files or the Make Lib option on the Run menu from
within the QB editor. The above LINK command lets you create a .QLB
file when only a .LIB file is available.

For example, when the following command is issued from the DOS command
line, a Quick library (MOUSE.QLB) is created from the library file
MOUSE.LIB:

   LINK MOUSE.LIB /Q,,,BQLB40.LIB;

A similar method is used when you want to combine two or more existing
libraries into one Quick library. For example, the following command
will combine MY.LIB (a library created by you) with QB.LIB (a library
provided with the compiler) to form MYNEW.QLB:

   LINK MY.LIB+QB.LIB /Q, MYNEW.QLB,, BQLB40.LIB;

Please note that if the following command is used to create the Quick
library, then only those files in QB.LIB that are called from MY.LIB
will ultimately become a part of MYNEW.QLB:

   LINK MY.LIB /Q, MYNEW.QLB,, BQLB40.LIB+QB.LIB;

Therefore, if the routines in QB.LIB are being called from the
main-module level of the program, you must use the previous syntax
(that is, all .LIB files must be specified in the first parameter).

For more information on the creation of Quick libraries, see Pages
189-201 and 221 of the "Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0: Learning and Using
Microsoft QuickBASIC" manual for versions 4.00 and 4.00b. See also
Pages 377-389 (Appendix H: "Creating and Using Quick Libraries") in
the "Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5: Programming in BASIC" manual for
version 4.50.

QuickBASIC 2.x, 3.00
--------------------

In QuickBASIC versions 2.00, 2.01, and 3.00, the BUILDLIB.EXE utility
can convert subprogram .OBJ files into run-time user libraries, which
can be called from within the QB editor or unlike in later versions,
called from an EXE program compiled to require the run-time module.
QuickBASIC versions released after 3.00 do not offer the BUILDLIB.EXE
utility and don't support run-time user libraries for use with EXE
programs. (However, BASIC compiler 6.00 and 6.00b, and Microsoft
Professional Development System (PDS) 7.00 and 7.10 do offer a similar
capability: a BUILDRTM.EXE utility to add .OBJ modules to the BASIC
run-time module itself.)

The BUILDLIB.EXE from QuickBASIC 2.x/3.00 can create user libraries
from .LIB files when you invoke BUILDLIB with the /L option (BUILDLIB
/L). Once invoked with /L, BUILDLIB then prompts you for the name of
the .LIB library file to input and the name of the user library to
output. Object .OBJ files cannot be input to BUILDLIB.EXE if you
invoke with the /L switch, unless the .OBJ files first are put into
.LIB files with the Microsoft LIB.EXE library manager utility.

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