SourceLink Details

Entisoft Sourcelink Technology

Introduction:

The Entisoft SourceLinker is for developers with the Professional Edition of Entisoft Tools. It creates Visual Basic program files containing just those Entisoft Tools functions and objects used by your Visual Basic (or VBA) program. It analyzes your program to determine which Entisoft Tools functions are used, then it writes those functions and the ones they need to a program file. You can include that program file within your project, instead of having to distribute the entire Entisoft Tools ActiveX DLL with your project.

The Development Process--Development:

While developing your program, you will normally want to include a Reference to the Entisoft Tools ActiveX DLL within your Visual Basic (or VBA) project. This will enable the entire Entisoft Tools library of Functions and Classes to be available as global objects while you are developing your program and deciding which Entisoft Tools functions to use.

The Development Process--Distribution:

When your project is nearly ready for release and distribution, you may want to embed the source code for the Entisoft Tools functions that you use directly within your project. The Entisoft SourceLinker automates this process by determining which Entisoft Tools functions your program uses and extracts just those functions from the Entisoft Tools source code.

Using the SourceLinker with Visual Basic Projects:

When you are ready to distribute your Visual Basic program, you may want to include a Module within your project that contains the source code for all of the Entisoft Tools functions your project uses. For example, you would add a new Module named ESTools.Bas to your project. Then, run the Entisoft SourceLinker to analyze your program and create the ESTools.Bas file that contains only the Entisoft Tools functions your program needs. Finally, remove the Reference to the Entisoft Tools Object Library from within your project, then Compile your program.

Running the SourceLinker for Visual Basic Projects:

To run the Entisoft SourceLinker program, choose its Shortcut from your Entisoft Tools menu. Press the Defaults button to restore all of the program defaults. Press the Add button next to the “Your Project and Files” box, then select your Visual Basic Project (your VBP) file and press Open to add it to the list. Select the “One File” Output Option, then enter the complete location of the output file that SourceLinker should create, or use the Browse button to name the output file. Press the LinkIt! button, and Entisoft SourceLinker will create the file. Reload your Visual Basic project that includes the file SourceLinker created so that VB will see the file changes.

Using the SourceLinker with Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, and other VBA Projects:

When you are ready to distribute your project, you may want to include a Module within your project that contains the source code for all of the Entisoft Tools functions your project uses. For example, you would add a new Module named EntisoftTools to your project. Then, run the Entisoft SourceLinker to analyze your program and extract the source code to embed. Finally, remove the Reference to the Entisoft Tools Object Library from within your project and Protect it before distribution.

Running the SourceLinker for Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, and other VBA Projects:

Paste your project’s source code to the Clipboard or write it to a file (or files) in order for the SourceLinker to analyze it. Do this first.
To run the Entisoft SourceLinker program, choose its Shortcut from your Entisoft Tools menu. Press the Defaults button to restore all of the program defaults. If you pasted your project’s source code to the Clipboard, then check the “Read From Clipboard” box so that SourceLinker will look at the Clipboard for your project code. Otherwise, if you saved your project’s source code in one or more files, then press the Add button next to the “Your Project and Files” box to add each of those files to the list. Select the “Clipboard” Output Option so that the extracted Entisoft Tools functions will be placed on the Clipboard after linking. Press the LinkIt! button, and Entisoft SourceLinker will analyze your project. Go into the new, blank Module that you created to hold the Entisoft Tools functions, then Paste the extracted functions from the Clipboard into that Module.

Using the Data Structures Within Your Projects:

Include the source code for the Data Structure Classes within new Class Modules in your project for proper functionality. Each of the Data Structure Classes (with minor exceptions) are completely stand-alone, so you can just include their source code within your project, and they will not require any other Entisoft Tools Functions or Classes. See the UsingTheDataStructuresHelp and DistributionNotesHelp topics in the Entisoft Tools Help File for more specific information.

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