TPF/IDE: A new integrated development environment for TPF

TPF/IDE is an integrated development environment (IDE) for editing, compiling and assembling TPF applications from the PC.

Although PC programmers have had full-blown integrated development environments for years, IDEs for TPF are a recent development.

TPF/IDE, a new integrated development environment by TPF Software, seeks to do something that no other IDE for TPF has done before.

Quite simply, TPF/IDE is a legacy-friendly IDE that works with your existing EXECs and library systems.

TPF/IDE is a legacy-friendly IDE that works with your existing EXECs and library systems.

The purpose of TPF/IDE is to allow programmers to upload and download source files in any language, edit them with modern graphical user interface conveniences, and compile or assemble them — all without requiring TPF shops to make several monstrously expensive purchases and completely change the way they do things.

Editing

TPF/IDE provides a modern PC editing environment with copy, cut and paste, syntax highlighting, and PC-style editing conventions that will be familiar to programmers coming out of college.

Syntax highlighting makes code easier to understand.

To edit a remote file, programmers first simply double click the file in the Host File window (item A in figure). The file is downloaded and automatically loaded in the TPF/IDE editor.

TPF/IDE applies syntax highlighting to editor files. Syntax highlighting means coloring or formatting language constructs so that the meaning of source code can be more easily understood. In TPF/IDE, syntax highlighting is applied according to the file type and is customizable so that new file types can be added. Current file types supported include assemble, sabr, exec, bsc/bscr, lsc/lscr, c, cpp, and h.

After the file is edited, it can be saved back to the host by clicking the Save button.

Multiple files can be edited at the same time, with full capability of copying and pasting between them.

Context-Sensitive Help

At some point during editing sessions, most programmers need help using a language feature or keyword. TPF/IDE has context-sensitive language help. All a programmer has to do is click a keyword in the source code and press F1. That term will be looked up and help will be shown.

Context-sensitive help is available for both C/C++ and Assembler.

Compiling or Assembling

TPF/IDE compiles or assembles programs by calling EXECs that you specify.

For example, if you already have an EXEC named TPFASM that assembles a TPF program, TPF/IDE will use it. This means that if you?re currently using VM/CMS for your program development, and you?re using EXECs to do your assemblies or compiles, TPF/IDE will easily integrate with those facilities.

Getting TPF/IDE

To learn more about TPF/IDE — and to find out how easy and cost-effective it would be to install at your company — contact Thiru at 919-676-5501.