Visual D: Settings to Improve compil and link process

[Rainer Schuetze via Digitalmars-d-learn]

On 06.07.2014 19:51, ParticlePeter wrote:
> On Sunday, 6 July 2014 at 08:09:07 UTC, Rainer Schuetze wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 05.07.2014 16:05, ParticlePeter wrote:
> ...
>>> It is possible to remove the template methods from my classes, create
>>> free functions instead and use them in a UFCS way.
>>> Unfortunately I have not figured out UFCS properly, as my approaches do
>>> not work ( guess due to UFCS restrictions ).
>>>
>>
>> That would not help, templates are instantiated and compiled when they
>> are used, not when they are declared.
>
> Hence the idea of splitting the class. After the split, the class has
> only non-template methods and is part of MyLib. Template UFCS functions
> working with this class are in another module, and not part of the lib.
> With this approach MyLib does not need to recompile, only the UFCS
> functions module needs to recompile due to different instantiations.
> UFCS works now for me btw.

Ok, that allows separate compilation of the class, but templates are 
still compiled with the rest of the program. I thought the templates 
were the part that cause the slow compilation.


>
>
>>> I tried to not build MyLib at all, and use the sources directly, but the
>>> project setup is kind of confusing. Again, there is a setting which I
>>> seem to not understand fully. So one project, lets say MyProject, has
>>> only its own module files added to the VisualD project. I want the
>>> compiler to also use the MyLib source files, but do not want to add them
>>> to MyProject, reasoning bellow. There is one entry in the project
>>> properties, which should make this behavior possible, but it doses not.
>>> Why ?
>>>
>>> Configuration Properties - Compiler - General - Additional Imports
>>>
>>> As far as I understand this setting, I am supposed to enter module
>>> search paths.
>>
>> This is correct.
>>
>> > But I do get linker errors when I do not add either
>>> MyLib.lib to the linker settings or all the source files of MyLib to
>>> MyProject.
>>>
>>
>> You should add a dependency in the "Project -> Project Dependencies"
>> dialog. This will ensure proper rebuilds and add the library to the
>> command line of dependent projects.
>
> The idea is to NOT create a lib, but just use the source code from MyLib
> in MyProject as additional includes. No project dependencies. I was
> hoping that some .obj files are still available from last builds, and do
> not need to recompile, as they are up to date ( reason for question
> about not cleaning files ).

These object files are in the library ;-) That means manual selection, 
though, as incremental builds to multiple object files don't work with 
dmd, and single file compilation is painfully slow.

> The modules form MyProject do import the MyLib modules properly, I do
> not get compiler errors. However, the compiler should create Object
> files from MyLib modules, and the linker should link them. But he does not.
> On the other hand, when I add MyLib modules to MyProject ( Rightclick
> MyProject - add - existing item... MyLib source files ) then linking
> works. I do not understand why the later step is necessary.

dmd does not compile imported modules, but rdmd does.