dummzeuch

I'll be on vacation. Maybe I will find some time to look into this.

I have never ever confused Pascal Strings with C char* types. (And I have done quite a lot C programming at the beginning of my career, parallel to using Turbo Pascal and Visual Basic, before I chose Delphi as my main programming tool.)

Depends. Back then (in the 1970ies *1) it made a lot of sense to store strings that way. And when moving from Pascal to Delphi (>20 years later) and introducing longstrings (Delphi 2?) it already was a decision between keeping backwards compatibility to Pascal vs. being compatible with C. Edit: (*1: I'm not sure when strings were introduced into Pascal: Was it an addition in Turbo Pascal (1986) or did they already exist in the original Pascal?)

Since Delphi is kind of a legacy programming language nowadays, backwards compatibility is very important. You don't want to throw away millions lines of proven code because they don't work any more, or even worse, because they are now buggy. So trying to change strings to be zero based was a bad idea, even if it was "just for mobile platforms".

Oh, yes, I had totally forgotten about short strings. And also about that stupid idea of making strings zero based.

My point is that you can't declare variables or types like this in Delphi. This is C like syntax. In Delphi you have to give a low and a high limit for an array. So at least you don't have to guess.

[dcc32 Error] Project1.dpr(10): E2029 ',' or ':' expected but '[' found [dcc32 Error] Project1.dpr(10): E2029 '(' expected but ';' found [dcc32 Error] Project1.dpr(10): E2029 Expression expected but ';' found

We are talking about a DLL here, so your code might not be multithreaded, but the caller's still might be.

And for convenience, use a global variable to store the state ... gd&r

I don't know whether it fits your definition of "good", but I have got: https://sourceforge.net/p/dzlib/code/HEAD/tree/dzlib/trunk/src/u_dzIso8601.pas and https://sourceforge.net/p/dzlib/code/HEAD/tree/dzlib/trunk/src/u_dzDateUtils.pas

Even with has its uses. But a convert tool that can remove them sounds really interesting. Is that part of Uwe's MMX explorer?

Actually, in my case it sometimes is "just because I can". I use Delphi not only to pay my bills, sometimes I just want to have some programming fun, and I imagine I'm not alone. But yes, there are actual reasons to use features in Delphi that are frowned upon by some people, even the discouraged goto.

I suggest you make your own tests with a simple project to check how the compiler / linker options behave with regards of adding line numbers to the map file. There may be more options that affect it.

I just tested a program in Delphi 10.2 and got the following call stack: Exception at [0092DF9A] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute (Line 79, "w_SigAbout.pas"): Test <begin call stack> [0092DF95] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute (Line 77, "w_SigAbout.pas" + 3) + $11 [0093D548] w_AnonymisierungRestApi.Tf_AnonymisierungRestApi.act_GetProgramInfoExecute (Line 2055, "w_AnonymisierungRestApi.pas" + 1) + $8 [004D0C0B] System.Classes.TBasicAction.Execute (Line 16901, "System.Classes.pas" + 3) + $7 [0052FE8A] Vcl.ActnList.TCustomAction.Execute (Line 260, "Vcl.ActnList.pas" + 19) + $35 [004D0A77] System.Classes.TBasicActionLink.Execute (Line 16812, "System.Classes.pas" + 2) + $7 [0060339B] Vcl.Menus.TMenuItem.Click (Line 2539, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 17) + $7 [00604AFC] Vcl.Menus.TMenu.DispatchCommand (Line 3482, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 5) + $4 [00605D8E] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.WndProc (Line 4655, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 4) + $E [00605CDD] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.MainWndProc (Line 4630, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 2) + $5 [004D1970] System.Classes.StdWndProc (Line 17405, "System.Classes.pas" + 8) + $0 [0061E18B] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.ProcessMessage (Line 10641, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 23) + $1 [0061E1CE] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.HandleMessage (Line 10671, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 1) + $4 [0061E501] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.Run (Line 10809, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 26) + $3 [0095195D] Anonymisierung.Anonymisierung (Line 36, "" + 4) + $7 <end call stack> As you can see there are line numbers for the system units as well as for the ones of the program. This is from the debug build. But, if I compile with the release configuration, I get the following: Exception at [0090B884] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute: Test <begin call stack> [0090B87F] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute + $37 [0091AC2B] w_AnonymisierungRestApi.Tf_AnonymisierungRestApi.act_GetProgramInfoExecute + $7 [004D0763] System.Classes.TBasicAction.Execute + $F [0052F88E] Vcl.ActnList.TCustomAction.Execute + $86 [004D05CF] System.Classes.TBasicActionLink.Execute + $13 [00602D77] Vcl.Menus.TMenuItem.Click + $93 [006044D8] Vcl.Menus.TMenu.DispatchCommand + $18 [0060576A] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.WndProc + $82 [006056B9] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.MainWndProc + $1D [004D14C8] System.Classes.StdWndProc + $14 [0061DB67] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.ProcessMessage + $F3 [0061DBAA] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.HandleMessage + $A [0061DEDD] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.Run + $C9 [0092E77D] Anonymisierung.Anonymisierung + $49 <end call stack> As you can see, there are no line numbers, neither for system units nor for the ones of the program. I could have sworn it should have worked. The configuration for the map file is identical in both. If I change the configuration to use debug dcus, I get line numbers for the system units: Exception at [0090B87C] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute: Test <begin call stack> [0090B877] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute + $37 [0091AC23] w_AnonymisierungRestApi.Tf_AnonymisierungRestApi.act_GetProgramInfoExecute + $7 [004D075B] System.Classes.TBasicAction.Execute (Line 16901, "System.Classes.pas" + 3) + $7 [0052F886] Vcl.ActnList.TCustomAction.Execute (Line 260, "Vcl.ActnList.pas" + 19) + $35 [004D05C7] System.Classes.TBasicActionLink.Execute (Line 16812, "System.Classes.pas" + 2) + $7 [00602D6F] Vcl.Menus.TMenuItem.Click (Line 2539, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 17) + $7 [006044D0] Vcl.Menus.TMenu.DispatchCommand (Line 3482, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 5) + $4 [00605762] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.WndProc (Line 4655, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 4) + $E [006056B1] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.MainWndProc (Line 4630, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 2) + $5 [004D14C0] System.Classes.StdWndProc (Line 17405, "System.Classes.pas" + 8) + $0 [0061DB5F] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.ProcessMessage (Line 10641, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 23) + $1 [0061DBA2] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.HandleMessage (Line 10671, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 1) + $4 [0061DED5] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.Run (Line 10809, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 26) + $3 [0092E77D] Anonymisierung.Anonymisierung + $49 <end call stack> If I also include debug information, I get line numbers for both, system and program units: Exception at [0090B878] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute (Line 79, "w_SigAbout.pas"): Test <begin call stack> [0090B873] w_SigAbout.Tf_SigAbout.Execute (Line 77, "w_SigAbout.pas" + 3) + $11 [0091AC1F] w_AnonymisierungRestApi.Tf_AnonymisierungRestApi.act_GetProgramInfoExecute (Line 2055, "w_AnonymisierungRestApi.pas" + 0) + $7 [004D075B] System.Classes.TBasicAction.Execute (Line 16901, "System.Classes.pas" + 3) + $7 [0052F886] Vcl.ActnList.TCustomAction.Execute (Line 260, "Vcl.ActnList.pas" + 19) + $35 [004D05C7] System.Classes.TBasicActionLink.Execute (Line 16812, "System.Classes.pas" + 2) + $7 [00602D6F] Vcl.Menus.TMenuItem.Click (Line 2539, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 17) + $7 [006044D0] Vcl.Menus.TMenu.DispatchCommand (Line 3482, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 5) + $4 [00605762] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.WndProc (Line 4655, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 4) + $E [006056B1] Vcl.Menus.TPopupList.MainWndProc (Line 4630, "Vcl.Menus.pas" + 2) + $5 [004D14C0] System.Classes.StdWndProc (Line 17405, "System.Classes.pas" + 8) + $0 [0061DB5F] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.ProcessMessage (Line 10641, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 23) + $1 [0061DBA2] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.HandleMessage (Line 10671, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 1) + $4 [0061DED5] Vcl.Forms.TApplication.Run (Line 10809, "Vcl.Forms.pas" + 26) + $3 [0092E77D] Anonymisierung.Anonymisierung (Line 36, "" + 4) + $7 <end call stack> Comparing the map files shows that the Line numbers are mostly missing from the release configuration's map file. These are the line numbers for w_SigAbout from the debug build: Line numbers for w_SigAbout(w_SigAbout.pas) segment .text 74 0001:0050A83C 75 0001:0050A843 76 0001:0050A854 77 0001:0050A862 79 0001:0050A878 80 0001:0050A882 82 0001:0050A89A 84 0001:0050A8AF 89 0001:0050A8CC 90 0001:0050A8FF 91 0001:0050A910 92 0001:0050A91E 93 0001:0050A928 94 0001:0050A933 96 0001:0050A94B 98 0001:0050A960 107 0001:0050A98C 108 0001:0050A9C2 110 0001:0050A9CC 112 0001:0050A9D9 113 0001:0050AA96 116 0001:0050AAAF 118 0001:0050AB98 120 0001:0050AC97 121 0001:0050AD98 123 0001:0050ADB1 125 0001:0050ADB9 127 0001:0050ADC1 129 0001:0050ADD8 130 0001:0050ADE0 131 0001:0050ADF2 133 0001:0050AE07 134 0001:0050AE23 135 0001:0050AE30 136 0001:0050AE41 137 0001:0050AE4A 138 0001:0050AE5D 139 0001:0050AE66 140 0001:0050AE6F 141 0001:0050AE78 142 0001:0050AE91 133 0001:0050AE94 145 0001:0050AE99 146 0001:0050AEAA 147 0001:0050AEB3 148 0001:0050AEC6 149 0001:0050AECF 150 0001:0050AED8 156 0001:0050B0F0 157 0001:0050B108 158 0001:0050B127 159 0001:0050B13B 160 0001:0050B13F 161 0001:0050B155 162 0001:0050B159 163 0001:0050B166 169 0001:0050B1E0 170 0001:0050B203 171 0001:0050B211 172 0001:0050B232 173 0001:0050B240 174 0001:0050B250 175 0001:0050B31C 176 0001:0050B32D 178 0001:0050B346 179 0001:0050B35A 177 0001:0050B371 186 0001:0050B396 187 0001:0050B47B 190 0001:0050B566 191 0001:0050B657 192 0001:0050B748 193 0001:0050B839 194 0001:0050B92A 195 0001:0050BA1B 196 0001:0050BB0C 198 0001:0050BC0A 201 0001:0050BC31 202 0001:0050BC64 203 0001:0050BD36 204 0001:0050BD47 205 0001:0050BD57 206 0001:0050BD67 208 0001:0050BE29 211 0001:0050C074 212 0001:0050C0B1 213 0001:0050C0C1 214 0001:0050C199 215 0001:0050C271 216 0001:0050C349 217 0001:0050C421 218 0001:0050C4F9 219 0001:0050C5E1 226 0001:0050C75C 227 0001:0050C762 228 0001:0050C772 230 0001:0050C777 231 0001:0050C78C 230 0001:0050C7A1 232 0001:0050C7A4 233 0001:0050C7C2 234 0001:0050C7C9 236 0001:0050C7D5 That section is completely missing from the release build, even though both are set to write a detailed map file. So I guess it does matter whether the units are compiled with debug information turned on or off as apparently the linker cannot write the line numbers to the map file if the dcus do do not contain debug information. But that's not because jcldebug reads them from the dcus / executable but because the linker does. Edit: I just confirmed that with an empty console application project created with File -> New -> Console Application Turning on the detailed map file for Win32, comiling for debug and release and then comparing the map files: There are line numbers for the debug configuration and no line numbers for the release configuration. Turning on debug information for a unit like this: unit Unit1; {$D+} interface implementation procedure Test; begin WriteLn('bla'); end; end. Creates line number entries for that unit even for the release build: Line numbers for Unit1(Unit1.pas) segment .text 12 0001:00000000 Google found this: Debug information Generates a line-number table for each procedure that maps object-code addresses into source text line numbers. Equivalent to the {$D+} Delphi compiler directive and the -V switch for DCC32. Default = False http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Alexandria/en/Linking But turning this option on for the release build did not make any difference.

Since the dcu file format is not documented, I doubt that jcldebug uses it to get line number information.