Help - Interfacing with C using Ada 83

Help - Interfacing with C using Ada 83

[Tai Pan]

Can somebody tell me how to get Ada 83 to call a C routine in an MS-DOS
environment? I'm using an ActivAda compiler and Borland C++ v4.51. The C
routine returns null terminated strings up to 255 characters. I have the
C source so the C compiler settings can be adjusted if required.
Portability is not an issue. 

My project engineer says it can't be done. I find this hard to believe
but I'm new to Ada and don't have much "hands on". I'm a bit paranoid
about playing with the Ada compiler since compiling the demo "hello
world" with three (!) added resulted in a compiler crash that scrambled
my primary drive (not running the program, just trying to compile it). 
Surely Ada can handle such a seemingly simple task. Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Re: Help - Interfacing with C using Ada 83

[Greg Dickie X2955]

Have not done this in DOS but we do it all the time in Windows/UNIX and I 
don't see any difference. Essentially you need a pragma interface in the
ADA code to define the C call. The other ActivADA compilers I've only used 
with MSVC++ object files but I believe the Borland format is the same so
you just need to link the C object file in with the rest of the ADA code.
THis is a pretty straightforward operation.

Hope this helps 

Tai Pan (lbfoster@hiwaay.net) wrote:
: Can somebody tell me how to get Ada 83 to call a C routine in an MS-DOS
: environment? I'm using an ActivAda compiler and Borland C++ v4.51. The C
: routine returns null terminated strings up to 255 characters. I have the
: C source so the C compiler settings can be adjusted if required.
: Portability is not an issue. 

: My project engineer says it can't be done. I find this hard to believe
: but I'm new to Ada and don't have much "hands on". I'm a bit paranoid
: about playing with the Ada compiler since compiling the demo "hello
: world" with three (!) added resulted in a compiler crash that scrambled
: my primary drive (not running the program, just trying to compile it). 
: Surely Ada can handle such a seemingly simple task. Any help would be
: appreciated. Thanks in advance.

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Greg Dickie
                                                Just a Guy
                                                CAE Electronics Ltd.
                                                Montreal, Canada
                                                (514) 341-6780 X2955
                                                greg@cae.ca

Re: Help - Interfacing with C using Ada 83

[Jim Dorman]

Have you tried using Microsoft C?  There is a difference between Microsoft
and Borland versions of C & C++.  Earlier versions of Alsys compilers only
had an interface to Metaware Hi-C.  I don't remember if that is the case
with ActivAda or not.  However, you would think that ActivAda should work
with Microsoft, since with a Windows target it accesses the Windows API!?? 
Borland is another matter.

Another option for using Ada83 with C is with the IntegrAda product line. 
You can use IntegrAda/386 or IntegrAda for Windows.  Both have an interface
to both Microsoft and Borland C.  Neither currently has an interface to
that version of Borland C++.  However, a new version of IntegrAda/386 will
be released by the end of October 1996 that has an interface to Fortran
Powerstation and Visual C++.

IntegrAda/386 also allows you to target both 16 and 32 bit applications by
merely making a simple menu choice.

For more information on the IntegrAda systems (or other PC-based Ada
compilers) you can visit the WEB Site for "The Home of PCADA" at
"http://www.pcada.com."
Demo disks and online brochures are available for your convenience.


-- 
Jim Dorman
Active Engineering Technologies, Inc.
Home of PC ADA
Voice:  (619) 414-9001
Fax:     (619) 414-9192
email:  jimd@pcada.com
URL:  http://www.pcada.com
Member of Team Ada!

Tai Pan <lbfoster@hiwaay.net> wrote in article
<325C73A2.6994@hiwaay.net>...
> Can somebody tell me how to get Ada 83 to call a C routine in an MS-DOS
> environment? I'm using an ActivAda compiler and Borland C++ v4.51. The C
> routine returns null terminated strings up to 255 characters. I have the
> C source so the C compiler settings can be adjusted if required.
> Portability is not an issue. 
> 
> My project engineer says it can't be done. I find this hard to believe
> but I'm new to Ada and don't have much "hands on". I'm a bit paranoid
> about playing with the Ada compiler since compiling the demo "hello
> world" with three (!) added resulted in a compiler crash that scrambled
> my primary drive (not running the program, just trying to compile it). 
> Surely Ada can handle such a seemingly simple task. Any help would be
> appreciated. Thanks in advance.
>