forums.silverfrost.com

farfleet.orangehome.co.uk · Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 2

From a complete beginner. I have used Fortran on main-frames since 1963, professionally. Now, in retirement, I want to use it on my PC (non-professionally).
I have downloaded and installed FTN95, apparently successfully. What do I do next? I downloaded the FTN95 user guide (help file), but it won't open. Do I need Windows Visual Studio 2005 to proceed? I have absolutely no clue what to do next. Any help greatly appreciated

Farfleet

IanLambley · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 490 Location: Sunderland

Hi,

No you don't need Visual Studio, you can simply open up the FTN95 DOS window which should be one of the Silverfrost commands available. Locate your directory containg your code, in .FOR files for example. For the complete code in one file, type:
ftn95 myfile.for/fixed/zeroise/save/list/nowindows/link

and the executable should apper

try

ftn95/?

to give help on the switches.

For the help file, locate ftn95.chm and double click it.

For multi-file linking, compile as above without the /link switch.
Create a text file (say linkfile) containing a list of object files to be loaded, e.g.

lo myfile1
lo myfile2
lo myfile3
file myexe

link with:

slink linkfile

For more advanced usage, investigate Plato the integrated development environment.

Regards

Ian

PaulLaidler · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject:

Most people find it simpler and quicker to start with Plato. This is an editor that allows you to open and compile programs. The alternative is to use Visual Studio with the FTN95 plug-in.

LitusSaxonicum · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject:

Paul is probably right. However, I don't get on with Plato (not a Republican!). I use a file editor for windows that has a dos box (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/steveb/cpaap/pfe/default.htm) which I like a whole lot better - I'm an old dog, and Plato is a "new trick"

Eddie

JohnHorspool · Joined: 26 Sep 2005 Posts: 270 Location: Gloucestershire UK

I'm baffled that you call yourself a complete beginner with 45 years of experience !

Like Eddie, I also work from a DOS command window and use the same file editor (pfe32.exe). I compile with a command line and also sometimes with a batch file. So long as your PATH definition includes "C:\Program Files\Silverfrost\FTN95" and you have an environmental variable called f95include and is defined as "C:\Program Files\Silverfrost\FTN95\include" then compiling and linking your source code should be more or less the same as you would have done on a mainframe. Both the path and evironment variables can be seen and modified in Control Panel -> System -> Advanced

Fortran 95 is fully backwards compatible to Fortran 77, thus you shouldn't hit any problems, so long as you don't revert to Fortran IV or any earlier version !

LitusSaxonicum · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

Hi Farfleet,

I read your original post again. If you have PFE, then run it. Make a file with the following contents, and save it as (say) test.for (use the trad fixed format for now, so statements start in column 7):