New visual fortran user

[rfengineer55]

I just bought Inte's Fortran compiler and installed it yesterday. Not too happy with it because of the steep learning curve.

I opened up a new project in Visual Studio 2008 and accepted the default project name console1 and it had some prewritten code "hello world" or some such thing. I compiled it and a DOS window popped p and I saw the "Hello world" character string with an invite tohit anyn key to continue. OK, this tells me that the compiler is working.

I have some legacy Fortran programs that were written in VMS Fortran that I want to produce an executable from. Two questions -

First, where do I copy my Legacy source file to? Where does it go EXACTLT?

Second, I have been told that the Intel compiler can be set up to use VMS extensions, but nobody so far seems to want to, or is able to, tell me how to do that. If it can be done, How exactly do you set up the compiler or Visual studio to use VMS extensions?

If you want to refer me to the docuentation, that's fine. Please pass along page numbers.

I have gone over the documentation and if the information is contained therein, I missed it/can't find it. I'm not at all pleased with the documentation because of the lack of the "How do I" formatted help. This is only my opinion; hopefully your opinion is much more favorable and mine will become better once I get this very expensive software doing something that's woth the cost.

Jeff Glass, BSEE CSRE
Chief Engineer
Northern Illinois University

[Les_Neilson]

Your difficulties are really with Visual Studio - rather than the compiler.

There is a section in the Fortran help called "Building Applications from Microsoft Visual Studio" which you should read.

(1) When you select File->New Project you get the dialog.
You can change the name "Console1" to whatever you like.
You can also specify where theproject is to be created in the "Location" field - I suggest that you browse to the directory where your code lives.
(I also suggest that you click on the "create empty project" so you don't getdefault code created for you)

Unfortunately it creates another directory (with the name of your projecteg "Console1")under the "location" specified.
Personally I really wish it wouldn't do that I just want it to createthe project files and I would prefer them to be in the code directory. But that is just the way I work and I manually move and edit the solution and project files afterwards.

Anyway
(2) Now you are in the project
Click on "Source Files" in the solution explorer to highlight it
click on Project-> Add Existing Item
browse to the source files
highlight the files you want to add
click "Add"

The files are now in your project
double click any file and it will appear in the editor
right click a file and you can select "compile"

Project->Properties will allow you to set up debug and release versions of your compile/link/run process
as well as setting up various fortran options, adding external libraries to be linked if you have any, and so on

The Build menu allows you to compile and link you application in debug and/or release mode.
You will really need to "play" with VS; go through the menus and the options in the dialog boxes in order to get a feel for what can be done. Yes it looks complicated but you will soon learn the subset of options that you will regularly use.

I hope this helps you get started
Les

[Jugoslav_Dujic]

Due to the initial double post, the thread had already been replied. At least, we made the same suggestions...

Quoting Les Neilson

You can also specify where theproject is to be created in the "Location" field - I suggest that you browse to the directory where your code lives.

...unfortunately, Visual Studio insists that the project directory must be empty before you create the project (i.e. you may not create solution Foo.sln in previously existing directory ...\Foo). Which is... annoying. It can create it in a subdirectory thereof (giving you an annoying path ...\Foo\Foo\Foo.sln).

[jimdempseyatthecove]

>>...unfortunately, Visual Studio insists that the project directory must be empty before you create the project

I found that annoying too.

Eclipse (at least on Linux) has its own set of issues. Like having a requirement for a tree structure. And the project layout beingessentially the directory tree from the application rootdirectory. Truesymbolic links can be used for directories but you tend to get all the files in the directory into your project. Each system has its own quirks.

My hack for VS to add a project where I want, is to:

1) rename the folder containing the files I want to make into a project
2) createan empty solutionproject (getting that damb .../foo/foo
3) exit VS
4) move the .sln and .prj files up one level (deleting the lower foo)
5) move files from renamed folder containg files for project into new foo
6) open empty solution in place I just made
7) add files to empty project

Barf.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Yes, this annoying behavior of Visual Studio is new in VS2008. It did not exist in earlier versions.

Jeff, I would say, based on your writings here and in comp.lang.fortran, that you do not need to set the "VMS" option. Please have a look through this short tutorial to see if it helps you get on your feet.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Some additional tips.

In Visual Studio, select Help > Intel Visual Fortran Professional > Intel Visual Fortran Professional Help. In the left column, expand Intel Visual Fortran Compiler Professional Edition. First click on "Getting Help and Support" so that you understand what resources are available to you.

Next, expand Intel Fortran Compiler User and Reference Manuals > Building Applications. Read the first several chapters, at least, through "Building Applications from the Command Line". I think this will help you.