Version 1.2.9

[Ryan]

This thread is for the discussion of the Regnus Parser for DOS, version 1.2.9

Changes this version:

• Updated program to use the latest version of the Regnus Parser for QB4.5.

Details and download: http://www.regnus-scripting.info/parsers/dos

[veryalien]

The Regnus Parser for DOS 1.2.9 does not run on Windows 7 64-bit systems (which are becoming increasingly popular). However, the DOS parser runs correctly on Windows 7 32-bit systems (the normal architecture).
I suspect the DOS parser is currently compiled and built as a 16-bit program. This means it will automatically and seamlessly run on 32-bit systems using a built-in 16-bit Windows virtual machine. Unfortunately, 16-bit programs cannot be run on 64-bit systems, instead Windows just displays a rather cryptic error message.
Can the DOS parser be re-built as a normal 32-bit program? I doubt that there will be any issues that require any code changes.

Neil

[Ryan]

Yep, the DOS parser is written in QB4.5, so won't compile in a 64bit compatible format using the MSQB4.5 compiler I use! DOSBox or another DOS emulator would probably be a good option if you want to run the DOS parser under a more recent version of Windows.

It looks like there are some compilers around that claim to be able to compile QB4.5 code for 64bit environments, so I suppose I could potentially look into building a compile for newer versions of Windows in future...

Ryan

[veryalien]

How about slightly re-writing the Regnus VB6 Parser, as a command line (DOS) version instead?
Don't include any Windows GUI like menus and buttons, just make it work like the existing DOS version.
Wouldn't that do the job instead of trying to compile the QBasic version to 32-bits?

[Ryan]

Hmm... I'm not sure whether it's possible to compile a VB6 program to run in a text-mode command prompt window? If so, I suppose that would work - otherwise, it would be problematic as there'd be no easy way to capture the output other than writing it to a text file and then processing it - but compiling a 32bit version of the QB4.5 parser shouldn't be a big problem, as there seem to be several 32bit classic BASIC compilers around, and the parser doesn't use anything particularly esoteric that I'd expect to cause compatibility issues. I'll look into it.