1.0 - DOS/32 Advanced D32A Library - Introduction

DOS/32 Advanced D32A C/C++ Run-Time Library is a collection of routines with C/C++ language interface. The primary goal when designing the library was to ensure maximum performance and speed while keeping the size of the library, and thus the size of executable applications that use it as small as possible. The library functions provide access to the low level DOS Extender and DPMI features which otherwise require the use of the assembly language.

D32A C/C++ Run-Time Library is fully compatible with WATCOM C/C++ version 10.6 and higher, and supports the both stack based and register based calling conventions. To use functions provided by the library you need to include the line #include <d32a.h> into your source files. Many of the library's functions duplicate those present in the standard C/C++ Run-Time library provided with WATCOM C/C++, but perform better and take less space (such as d32a_malloc() function). Therefore you may want to use #undef and #define keywords to redirect some of the standard functions to D32A library enhanced functions.

It is important to note that some, but not all, of the library's functions require DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender as they are using its extended features not found in other DOS Extenders. A minor drawback is that when debugging an application with WATCOM Debugger, the program will be run under DOS/4G DOS Extender where DOS/32 Advanced features are not present. You are suggested to use SUNSYS Debugger provided with DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender to ensure that the applications you debug will work correctly during the debugging process.