Comments for MeshCAM Development http://www.grzsoftware.com/news Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:14:47 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on March Update by Jason Dorie http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7946 Jason Dorie Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:14:47 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7946 I don't use a lot of templates, so I'm not sure how they'll affect the performance. You'll still see the benefit of not having to find/parse them multiple times, which is by far the bulk of time spent compiling "normal" code. I don’t use a lot of templates, so I’m not sure how they’ll affect the performance. You’ll still see the benefit of not having to find/parse them multiple times, which is by far the bulk of time spent compiling “normal” code.

]]> Comment on March Update by Robert http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7944 Robert Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:57:37 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7944 Thanks for the outline. I'll have to give it a try. Is there any additional (or reduced ) benefits for header files that contain a lot of templates? -Robert Thanks for the outline. I’ll have to give it a try. Is there any additional (or reduced ) benefits for header files that contain a lot of templates?

-Robert

]]> Comment on March Update by Jason Dorie http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7943 Jason Dorie Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:08:08 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7943 Manual PCH files are almost startingly simple to work with. - Write a .h file that #includes the largest and most commonly used header files. This is the header that will be precompiled. - Write a .cpp that simply includes that master .h file. This is used to generate the PCH file. - Select all your .cpp files, and in the settings, set "use pre-compiled header", and specify the name of your master header file. - Select the single .cpp that just includes the master header, and in the settings, set "generate pre-compiled header" and specify the name of the master header. Then you just add #include "MasterHeader.h" to the top of all your source files, and that's it. If a file is small enough, you can turn off the PCH usage for that file. Be aware that you need to put the PCH file first, as the compiler will skip everything up to the point that it finds that #include "MasterFile.h" line, assuming that it's all in the PCH file. Depending on the number of source files you have, this will probably take ten minutes or so. Don't include anything in the PCH file that changes often, if possible - Use it for things like Windows.h, library headers that you use all the time, files that include a lot of other files, and so on. The beauty of the PCH files is that they boost full rebuild -and- incremental build times by an order of magnitude. Well worth the effort - I use them for damn near everything. :) Jason Manual PCH files are almost startingly simple to work with.

- Write a .h file that #includes the largest and most commonly used header files. This is the header that will be precompiled.

- Write a .cpp that simply includes that master .h file. This is used to generate the PCH file.

- Select all your .cpp files, and in the settings, set “use pre-compiled header”, and specify the name of your master header file.

- Select the single .cpp that just includes the master header, and in the settings, set “generate pre-compiled header” and specify the name of the master header.

Then you just add #include “MasterHeader.h” to the top of all your source files, and that’s it. If a file is small enough, you can turn off the PCH usage for that file. Be aware that you need to put the PCH file first, as the compiler will skip everything up to the point that it finds that #include “MasterFile.h” line, assuming that it’s all in the PCH file.

Depending on the number of source files you have, this will probably take ten minutes or so.

Don’t include anything in the PCH file that changes often, if possible – Use it for things like Windows.h, library headers that you use all the time, files that include a lot of other files, and so on.

The beauty of the PCH files is that they boost full rebuild -and- incremental build times by an order of magnitude. Well worth the effort – I use them for damn near everything. :)

Jason

]]> Comment on March Update by Robert http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7942 Robert Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:23:21 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7942 Of course I'm doing it wrong :). I tried to setup PCH up a couple years ago and I had a bunch of trouble. At the time the project was small so it didn't matter anyway. Now that it has grown, I think the benefit would be significant. My goal was to get V3 done and do this in V4 when I can start with a clean branch of code and make the change. I never thought about combining a bunch of files into one translation unit. That might be a good alternative for some areas of the program. -Robert Of course I’m doing it wrong :) . I tried to setup PCH up a couple years ago and I had a bunch of trouble. At the time the project was small so it didn’t matter anyway. Now that it has grown, I think the benefit would be significant. My goal was to get V3 done and do this in V4 when I can start with a clean branch of code and make the change.

I never thought about combining a bunch of files into one translation unit. That might be a good alternative for some areas of the program.

-Robert

]]> Comment on March Update by Jason http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7941 Jason Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:02:06 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7941 20 minutes? Unless you have millions of lines of code, you're doing it wrong. :) Have you looked into using precompiled headers? In 2004, I had a complete hockey game compiling in under 3 minutes using custom PCH files. If you'd like a hand setting it up, I can help. It's quite easy. Be aware that "automatic" mode isn't really automatic, and is typically used wrong. Another option is renaming a bunch of related files from .cpp to .inc, and then making a single .cpp file that includes them. Since related files use the similar includes, you only process those once, and finding/parsing them is generally the bulk of the time spent compiling. I've found doing this in units of 10 to 20 files can make your "incremental" compile time about 5% slower, but the "full rebuild" time about 10x faster. Jason 20 minutes? Unless you have millions of lines of code, you’re doing it wrong. :) Have you looked into using precompiled headers? In 2004, I had a complete hockey game compiling in under 3 minutes using custom PCH files. If you’d like a hand setting it up, I can help. It’s quite easy. Be aware that “automatic” mode isn’t really automatic, and is typically used wrong.

Another option is renaming a bunch of related files from .cpp to .inc, and then making a single .cpp file that includes them. Since related files use the similar includes, you only process those once, and finding/parsing them is generally the bulk of the time spent compiling. I’ve found doing this in units of 10 to 20 files can make your “incremental” compile time about 5% slower, but the “full rebuild” time about 10x faster.

Jason

]]> Comment on March Update by Randy http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/comment-page-1/#comment-7940 Randy Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:56:24 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/03/02/march-update/#comment-7940 "As you can imagine, errors are frustrating when they mean I have to wait another 20 minutes to rebuild." Ah, kids these days. :) I learned Fortran while a senior in high school--I was alpha-tester for a self-paced book written by a friend of my calculus teacher. I punched cards on a surplus IBM cardpunch and on Friday my teacher took the card deck for that week down to the mainframe at the state capitol to run. Frustration is waiting a week for the printout of the program, which on bad weeks read "Syntax error in line 240"... Randy “As you can imagine, errors are frustrating when they mean I have to wait another 20 minutes to rebuild.”

Ah, kids these days. :) I learned Fortran while a senior in high school–I was alpha-tester for a self-paced book written by a friend of my calculus teacher. I punched cards on a surplus IBM cardpunch and on Friday my teacher took the card deck for that week down to the mainframe at the state capitol to run. Frustration is waiting a week for the printout of the program, which on bad weeks read “Syntax error in line 240″…

Randy

]]> Comment on Build 13 by Jeff Demand http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/comment-page-1/#comment-7939 Jeff Demand Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:41:46 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/#comment-7939 Robert, Randy is dead right about the current quality of MC. It is getting damned near impossible to find bugs, little changes to the UI are about all I can suggest and most of them are just to better fit my strange work habits. Very good work. jeffD Robert,

Randy is dead right about the current quality of MC.

It is getting damned near impossible to find bugs, little changes to the UI are about all I can suggest and most of them are just to better fit my strange work habits. Very good work.

jeffD

]]> Comment on Build 13 by Randy http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/comment-page-1/#comment-7938 Randy Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:18:37 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/#comment-7938 Robert, accepted as described. (Yeah, I know where to find the reg code...) Would it be hard to display "Registered Copy" for those of us with extremely short memories? ;P Please consider it a compliment that this is the worst current shortcoming of MC that I can think of... :D Randy Robert, accepted as described. (Yeah, I know where to find the reg code…) Would it be hard to display “Registered Copy” for those of us with extremely short memories? ;P Please consider it a compliment that this is the worst current shortcoming of MC that I can think of… :D

Randy

]]> Comment on Build 13 by Robert http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/comment-page-1/#comment-7937 Robert Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:24:33 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/#comment-7937 Jeff- You're right, I caught myself with that problem recently. I've been meaning to update my build system to add the build number to the filename. I'll try to do it in the near future. (Yes Randy, I have to program the computer to rename the file for me- engineers are too lazy for anything as mundane as manual file renaming. That and I'll probably do it wrong if it isn't done for me.) Randy- The hiding of the reg code after acceptance was meant to make sure it wouldn't be trivially easy to grab a reg code from a lab or shop computer running MeshCAM and distribute it. Admittedly it isn't impossible to find the code in the PC now- I just want to avoid handing it out with a smile. -Robert Jeff- You’re right, I caught myself with that problem recently. I’ve been meaning to update my build system to add the build number to the filename. I’ll try to do it in the near future. (Yes Randy, I have to program the computer to rename the file for me- engineers are too lazy for anything as mundane as manual file renaming. That and I’ll probably do it wrong if it isn’t done for me.)

Randy- The hiding of the reg code after acceptance was meant to make sure it wouldn’t be trivially easy to grab a reg code from a lab or shop computer running MeshCAM and distribute it. Admittedly it isn’t impossible to find the code in the PC now- I just want to avoid handing it out with a smile.

-Robert

]]> Comment on Build 13 by Randy http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/comment-page-1/#comment-7936 Randy Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:52:59 +0000 http://www.grzsoftware.com/news/2010/02/15/build-13/#comment-7936 Oh, BTW Jeff, ;) in case it wasn't obvious. Robert, as long as we're on the subject of things you should do differently :) , after I've already entered my reg code in the registration dialog, the next time I look at it the reg code box is still blank. I know that I've re-entered my reg code several times because I think "uh-oh, I forgot to register it". Of course, if I think to look up in the title bar it shows MC is licensed, but shouldn't the reg code stay in the box? Randy Oh, BTW Jeff, ;) in case it wasn’t obvious.

Robert, as long as we’re on the subject of things you should do differently :) , after I’ve already entered my reg code in the registration dialog, the next time I look at it the reg code box is still blank. I know that I’ve re-entered my reg code several times because I think “uh-oh, I forgot to register it”. Of course, if I think to look up in the title bar it shows MC is licensed, but shouldn’t the reg code stay in the box?

Randy

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