Files generated during packaging
Upon completion of the generation, VA Smalltalk writes several files to the output directory.
Files needed to run the packaged image
VA Smalltalk writes files that you need to run the packaged image to the output directory:
• <your application name>.icx
• <your application name>.exe or, for UNIX, <your application name>*
• <your application name>.ini
<your application name> is the name you specified for your application in the file dialog. The .icx file is the packaged runtime image. The .exe or <your application name>* file is the startup executable, which is simply a copy of the executable used to start VA Smalltalk. The .ini file is a modified copy of the initialization file called when VA Smalltalk starts. Your packaged image reads the .ini file upon startup. You can modify the .ini file so it sets paths for bitmaps, .mpr files, or .cat files and specifies national-language settings.
For Windows, you also get cursors.obj and rgb.txt. These files provide information that the runtime image needs to correctly display views.
Depending on the graphics and features used by your application, you might need to copy additional files to the output directory. For example, if your Windows environment variables do not point to
esvm40.dll, you must copy
esvm40.dll from the main VA Smalltalk directory to the output directory.
esvm40.dll provides the virtual machine for VA Smalltalk. Similarly, if your application uses VA Smalltalk icons, you need
abtico40.dll or whatever files provide the icons. Further, for an ODBC database application such as
SampleDatabaseApplication, you need files that support ODBC applications. Finally, you need any
.mpr or
.cat files that your application uses. For a list of files you might need, see
Distributing your application.
Statistics files
During packaging, VA Smalltalk also writes several statistics files with the extension .es to the output directory. They provide information about your minimum runtime image, such as which applications, classes, and methods were included in your runtime image, and the number of instances of each class and the size required by them in your runtime image.
The statistics files can assist you in understanding your runtime image and getting it as efficient as possible. They are not required for your application to run. Once you have the runtime image you want, you can delete them.
If the statistics files indicate that part of your application didn't make it into the runtime image, try the debugging measures mentioned in
Debugging a runtime image.
Last modified date: 02/20/2019