How an Application Is Built with the Image Operation
When you select Image to build an ABF application:
1. ABF includes all frames and procedures for the application image.
2. ABF determines which components to recompile.
This is similar to the process described in the section, Building an Application with the Go Operation. Again, ABF checks the dates for the Intermediate Language (IL) code in the ii_encodings catalog.
If a frame's IL code is not out-of-date, ABF also checks the object file. ABF recompiles the frame if the IL code is newer than the object code.
3. If recompilation is needed for a frame or procedure, ABF:
• Generates IL code for 4GL frames and procedures
• Generates C code from the IL code
• Compiles this code and host language procedures into object files
4. For each compiled form in the application, ABF checks whether the form in the database is newer than the object file for the compiled form.
If so, ABF creates a new compiled form file and then compiles it into an object file.
5. ABF generates the extract file and compiles it into the abextract.obj.
6. Finally, ABF links object files and libraries into an executable with the image name that you have specified.