Advantages of Object Files

Advantages of object files include:

• Because object files are ready to run, they do not need to be recompiled if the source file has not changed. This can save you a lot of time. If your object file is more recent than your source file, the source file does not need to be recompiled each time the file is first opened in a session; the object file is used as is.
• You can distribute object files without having to distribute the source equivalents. So if you have built some tests and include files that you want to distribute but don’t want others to see the sources, you can distribute only the object files.

Since an object file cannot be run directly:

• Define the code you want to "hide" in an include file, which will be compiled into an .ino object file.
• Call those functions from an ordinary script file.
• Distribute the .t script file and the compiled .ino include file. Users can open and run the script file as usual, through File > Run.

Here’s a simple example of how you might distribute object files so that others cannot see the code.

In file test.inc, place the definition of a function called TestFunction. When you save the file, the entire include file is compiled into test.ino.

TestFunction ()
		   ListPrint (Desktop.GetActive ())

In the file test.t use the test.inc include file. Silk Test Classic will load the .ino equivalent. Call TestFunction, which was defined in the include file.

use "test.inc"

		main ()
		TestFunction () // call the function

Distribute test.t and test.ino. Users can open test.t and run it but do not have access to the actual routine, which resides only in compiled form in test.ino.