Helpfiles: amkmessage.c: Drop in replacement for Informix mkmessage To build: make amkmessage No Makefile entry needed To use: amkmessage foo.msg foo.iem To install: Copy into a bin file unmkmessage.c: Decompiler for Informix .iem files To build: make unmkmessage No Makefile entry needed To use: unmkmessage foo.iem foo.msg or: unmkmessage foo.iem > foo.msg To install: Copy into a bin file help.4gl: Standalone program to demonstrate help system To build: aubit 4glpc help.4gl -o help To use: ./help help will prompt for filename then messageno Try the supplied fred.iem (which has messages 1,2, and 3) There is no enforcement of suffix .iem (you can use any filenames). Message 2 is long - scroll forward through it Try bad filenames, wrong files (e.g. fred.msg instead of fred.iem), out of band message no (e.g. 4), etc To install: Comment out the main .. end main block. Rename myxxxx() functions to fit in to your nomenclature Possibly change all 4GL functions to static Link help.per: Form for use with help.4gl To compile: aubit fcompile help.per fred.msg: Source for a silly test file fred.iem: Binary of fred.msg created using command: mkmessage fred.msg fred.iem Potential issues: 1. Brinkmanship in the dimensions of help.per 2. End of line (CR+LF) problems on MS systems? 3. Function name clashes (look at the ones with names myxxxxx() 4. The 3 files: amkmessage.c, unmkmessage.c, help.4gl have to stay in sync 5. Using MSByte in offset (multiplied by 16777216) may be de trop. 6. No attempt to split long error messages over 1 or more lines (most Unix error messages are very short and succinct)