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The C++Builder IDE Explored: Projects and Forms
There are a few more odds and ends, but that’s the bulk of what is contained in the makefile.
When you tell C++Builder to compile the project, it hands the makefile to the compiler.
(Technically, the makefile is read by the Make utility, but why quibble over details?) The
compiler reads the makefile and begins compiling all the source files that make up the project.
Several things happen during this process. First, the C++ compiler compiles the C++ source
files into binary object files. Then the resource compiler compiles any resources, such as the
program’s icon and form files, into binary resource files. Next, the linker takes over. The
linker takes the binary files the compilers created, adds any library files the project needs, and
binds them all together to produce the final executable file. Along the way it produces more
files that perform some special operations (I’ll get to that in a minute). When it’s all over, you
have a standalone program that can be run in the usual ways.
Okay, but what are all those files for? Table 6.1 lists the file extensions C++Builder uses, with
a description of the role that each file type plays.
Table 6.1. Types of files used in C++Builder.
Extension Description
.CPP The C++ source files. There will usually be one for each unit and
one for the main project file, as well as any other source files that
you add to the project.
.DFM The form file. This file is actually a binary resource file (.RES) in
disguise. It is a description of the form and all its components. Each
form has its own .DFM file.
.DSK The desktop file. This file keeps track of the way the desktop
appeared when you last saved (or closed) the project. All the open
windows’ sizes and positions are saved so that when you reopen the
project it looks the same as it did when you left it.
.EXE The final executable program.
.H C++ header files that contain class declarations. These could be
C++Builder-generated files or your own class headers.
.IL? The four files whose extension begins with .IL are files created by
the incremental linker. The incremental linker saves you time by
linking only the parts of the program that have changed since the
last build.
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