Desktop Development for NonStop: Example – Using ETK
Updated: Dec 29, 2022
In my first blog on Desktop Devlopment for NonStop, I covered some of the benefits of using a Windows™ PC to create and debug NonStop programs. One additional benefit that I forgot to mention is using ETK (Enterprise Toolkit) to speed conversion from Cobol85 to NMCobol. ETK is a tool that very quickly compiles and then reports errors in a manner that lets a double-click immediately jump to the error occurred. In the examples below I will use an existing Cobol85 program with a TAL library and show how ETK highlights the needed changes.
(I’m using Visual Studio .NET 2003 with ETK installed. ETK can be used with VS .NET 2003, 2005 and 2008. The following is a very brief overview of what you can do with ETK.)
Creating a new project
When a new project is started, note that you can select
The destination platform (S or H/J Series)
The kind of program you are building, e.g. Server, SQL, etc. By selecting the type you are creating, default settings are set correctly for you. (Note that, as a side benefit, you can use descriptive name for projects and files.)
Adding files to the project is straight forward. Compiling is simply a single selection. The errors are listed and can be used to jump right to the offending line.
Error List
Project Options
Options can also be easily set.
Tip for documentation:
When I’m working with a conversion I usually also have corresponding manual open in NTL. As an example: http://h30163.www3.hp.com/NTL/library/H_RVUs/H06_03_00/Publications/C/
As you can see, using ETK for creating, editing, compiling and linking on the desktop is simple, fast and reduces errors.
In my next blog I will show compiling with ETK and debugging using Visual Inspect.
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Donald Wickham has 31 years experience with Nonstop including 20 years for Tandem, Compaq and HP. He has been with TIC Software for 11 years in the role of Chief Architect.
TIC Software, a New York-based company specializing in software and services that integrate NonStop with the latest technologies, including Web Services, .NET and Java. Prior to founding TIC in 1983, Phil worked for Tandem Computer in technical support and software development.
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