Re: Forms 4.5: problem with the size of the *.fmb files

From: Paul Zola <pzola_at_us.oracle.com>
Date: 1995/12/14
Message-ID: <4apumu$r05_at_inet-nntp-gw-1.us.oracle.com>#1/1

In <4a9kcu$p39_at_wagner.spc.videotron.ca> Benoit.Stephenson_at_dmr.ca (Benoît Stephenson) writes:
} When I save my forms (version 4.5) the size my of source file (*.fmb)
} is not always the same, the same file can be 600Kb and if I save if
} again I could change to 1.2Mb. Did anyone have the same problem ? Is
} there a solution ?

This isn't a problem, this is a *feature*. No, really.

Forms 4.5 greatly reduces the time required to generate a form by adding support for incremental compilation. This means that if you make a one-line change to a trigger or procedure and then re-compile the form, Forms does not need to re-compile all the PL/SQL in all the triggers and program units in the form. Instead, Forms re-compiles just the trigger or program unit that you changed. This is in contrast to Forms 4.0 and 3.0, where generating a form meant re-compiling all the PL/SQL in the entire form.

In order to support incremental compilation, Forms 4.5 must store additional information in the .fmb file. Specifically, Forms 4.5 stores all of the PL/SQL source text, the DIANA (intermediate representation) and the compiled PL/SQL P-Code in the .fmb file. The DIANA and the P-Code are only created when the form is generated or when the specific program unit or trigger is compiled.

This simple fact accounts for all of the observed phenomena:

• The .fmb files are larger in Forms 4.5 than in Forms 4.0 because they are storing more information.
• Generating a form (or selecting 'compile all' will make the .fmb file larger.
• Converting to an .fmt file and then back to an .fmb file will shrink the file, since the DIANA and the P-Code are not stored in the .fmt format.

Note that the sizes of .fmx files are not affected by this phenomenon: an .fmx file only contains (and has always contained) the compiled P-Code.

        -paul         

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Paul Zola Senior Technical Analyst World-Wide Technical Support

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Received on Thu Dec 14 1995 - 00:00:00 CET