When compiling a project Delphi links many vcl libraries unnecessary for the
program?Does anyone know how to avoid this unnecessary linking to reduce the
exe filesize?
But I still want a stand alone executable.

Thank you in advance,
Bill

Remove units from your uses clauses if they're not actually used.

Delphi features "smart linking": only routines (procedures, functions,
methods) that are or could be called are linked into the executable.
But that's for code: all data is always included, and some library
units have quite substantial amounts of global variables. Also, virtual
methods that are in fact never called tend to be included because they
_might_ be called. It would take extensive program analysis to exclude
all code that cannot be called.

That's not a problem.

At the end of the day, executable size itself is not a problem. The
best solution is not to worry about it. Make some effort to keep your
uses clauses tight, and stop right there.

Groetjes,
Maarten Wiltink

Like what, for instance?

--
Rob

http://upx.sourceforge.net/

"Bill Libb" <libb_the_gr...@yahoo.com> schreef in bericht
news:1056632281.683627@athprx02...

Rob Kennedy <rkenn...@example.com> wrote in news:vfm8f07ffsi950
@corp.supernews.com:

Grab Icarus from http://www.peganza.com/products.htm

This will go through you project and tell you what units should be moved
(to the implementation section) and what units should be removed.

Cheers,
Nick

Thanks for the link. I may need that too. But I figured that the
Delphi compiler was smart enough not to link unused library code
into the executable. Or am I giving it too much credit now?

On 27 Jun 2003 02:20:35 -0700, b...@mindless.com (Bram Bos) wrote:

It is pretty smart, however t{*word*220} the Uses list is always a good
idea - just as a matter of principle
- it is a form of self documentation, also a trap for scope problems

news:e386cf42.0306270120.44a044a1@posting.google.com...

It is fairly smart. However it doesn't remove virtual method code. IMO
spending much time on this is an utter waste. In a Windows app far more
space is consumed by resources and other data than by code.

That shouldn't matter in this case. Removing an unused unit won't take
care of unused virtual methods. The virtual methods will only be
included if you use the class those methods belong to (or one of its
descendents). If you use the class, then the unit obviously isn't
unused, and you'd get a compiler error if you tried to remove it.

To remove a unit and not get compiler errors, the unit's effect on the
program must be limited to its initialization and finalization sections,
the units it uses, and any resources linked via that unit. Removing any
of those side effects can cause problems when running the program.

--
Rob