multicompile

This is the home page for the Multi-Compile module. This module is obsolete as of NetBeans 4.0.

Summary

This module is an experiment to permit advanced users to create complex, customized configurations of new types of files, compilation, etc.--without needing to write code for an extension module. Currently there is no online documentation.

It is currently developed by Jesse Glick. Discuss on nbdev@netbeans.org.

Defining new object types

There is an object type, Generic Files, created by the module. Go to Tools | Options | Object Types | Generic Files to customize it. You can configure the primary file extension, any secondary file extensions (including whether to recognize inner-class-like constructions), and a MIME type for the objects handled. Right now only one generic file type can be handled at a time. The generic objects can be edited as text, compiled, and executed.

Defining new compilers

You can create and customize new compilers under Project | Settings | Compiler Types. Look at Flexible External Compilation and Two-Stage Compiler.

Flexibility in external compilers is provided. Multi-stage compilers can be assembled from a chain of regular compilers, thus handling complex compilation steps. For stages past the first, typically the input files will not exist at the time the compilation is started (before the first stage compilers have completed), so "lazy compilers" may also be configured which are akin to regular external compilers, but can be safely run as a second or subsequent stage--you must define what the input extension will be so it knows what to expect.