Welcome to DIPP, the Delphi Inspiration Pascal Preprocessor!

What is DIPP? Usage and Syntax Examples History Contact

What is DIPP?

DIPP is a Pascal Preprocessor. The purpose of DIPP is to manipulate Pascal source code files.

DIPP can

DIPP is useful

DIPP is a tiny console application suitable for batch processing. It returns an exit code <> 0 on error. DIPP reads, processes and writes one file at a time, performing minimal syntax check as it goes. Output files can then be passed on to Pascal compilers.

DIPP Usage and Syntax

Since DIPP is a console application, you usually run DIPP from the command line. Open a console window and type DIPP and press Enter. Called without options, DIPP displays its help screen:

C:\DIPP>DIPP

The Delphi Inspiration Pascal Preprocessor Version 1.1
Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inpiration, Ralf Junker
http://www.zeitungsjunge.de/delphi/

Syntax: DIPP.exe [options] <INFILE> <OUTFILE>

 -$[<+|-><sym>[;<sym>]]  Remove directives / keep/remove by wildcards
 -ai[<file>[;<file>]]    Add / insert include files [specific files]
 -C[1]                   Remove comments [but keep 1st comment]
 -c                      Process Conditionals
 -d<sym>[;<sym>]         Define conditionals
 -h[<+|-><sym>[;<sym>]]  Remove conditionals / keep/remove by wildcards
 -i<path>[;<path>]       Include directories
 -n                      Interface only (up to implementation identifier)
 -o                      Overwrite existing file
 -p<Pascal compiler>     Imitate Pascal compiler conditional defines:
                           Delphi:     D, D32, D1-7
                           Kylix:      K, K1-3
                           C++Builder: C, C32, C1, C3-6
 -ri[<FILE>[;<FILE>]]    Read Include files [specific files]
 -si[<FILE>[;<FILE>]]    Skip Include files [specific files]
 -t[i]                   Time stamp outfile to infile [or latest include]

Preprocessing Pascal files with DIPP requires you to enter both an input file and an output file. DIPP reads from the input file and writes the processed Pascal source code to the output file:

C:\DIPP>DIPP infile.pas outfile.pas

The Delphi Inspiration Pascal Preprocessor Version 1.1
Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inpiration, Ralf Junker
http://www.zeitungsjunge.de/delphi/
In:  infile.pas
Out: outfile.pas
  Processed 6523 lines in 10 ms.

Without options, DIPP doesn't really process infile.pas except for some minor formatting like removing multiple line breaks. To turn on real preprocessing, you need to specify one or more of the following options:

-$

Remove Compiler Directives

Removing compiler directives can be used to adjust Pascal sources to older compilers which do not support all directives of the latest Pascal versions. Directives do not include conditionals and switches.
-$ Removes all compiler directives.
-$-HPPEMIT Removes {$HPPEMIT ...} directives only.
-$+HINT Removes all directives except for {$HINT ...}.

Multiple directives can be separated by semicolon ';':
-$-HPPEMIT;NODEFINE  Removes {$HPPEMIT ...} and {$NODEFINE ...} directives only.
-$+HINT;WARN Removes all directives except for {$HINT ...} and {$WARN ...}.


Directive names can also contain wildcards '*' and '?'. Wildcards allow to remove groups of directives with start or end with particular characters.
-$-HPP*;*DEFINE Removes only those directives which start with 'HPP' or end with 'DEFINE'.
-$+HPP*;*DEFINE Removes all directives which do not start with 'HPP' or end with 'DEFINE'.
-c

Process Conditionals

Enables processing of conditional compiler directives. With conditionals enabled, DIPP skips over code enclosed by undefined conditionals, inserts include files depending on defined conditionals. In other words: DIPP treats your sources like a Pascal compiler would.

Conditional directives include:

  • {$DEFINE ... }
  • {$UNDEF ... }
  • {$IFDEF ... }
  • {$IFNDEF ... }
  • {$ELSE ... }
  • {$IFOPT ... }

Do not confuse -c (lower case) with the -C (upper case) option, which remove comments.
-C

Remove Comments

-C Removes all comments.
-C1  Removes all comments but keeps the 1st comment in the file. This can be used to keep an initial copyright or license comment present in many Pascal source code files.

Do not confuse -C (upper case) with the -c (lower case) option, which enables processing conditionals.
-d

Define Conditionals

Defines conditional symbols, just like the DCC32 command line compiler. Separate multiple defines with a semicolon ';'.
-DDebug Defines the conditional symbol 'Debug'.
-DDebug;Console  Defines the conditional symbols 'Debug' and 'Console'.
-h

Remove Conditionals

Removing compiler directives from Pascal sources can be used to clean them up for easier debugging or to create sources for specific Pascal compilers. Conditionals do not include directives and switches.
-H Removes all conditional directives.
-H-Debug Removes 'Debug' conditionals only.
-H+Debug Removes all conditionals except for 'Debug'.

Multiple directives can be separated by semicolon ';':
-H-Debug;Console  Removes 'Debug' and 'Console' conditionals only.
-H+Debug;Console Removes all conditionals except for 'Debug' and 'Console'.


Directive names can also contain wildcards '*' and '?'. Wildcards allow to remove groups of conditionals with start or end with particular characters.
-H-MyID_* Removes all conditionals starting with 'MyID_'.
-H+MyID_* Removes all conditionals not starting with 'MyID_'.
-i

Include Directories

The -I option lets you specify a list of directories in which DIPP searches for include files. Separate multiple defines with a semicolon ';'. DIPP starts searching for include files at the current directory, then at the first directory sepcified, then the 2nd, and so on.
-Ic:\pascal\include  Searches for include files in 'c:\pascal\include'.
-n

Interface Only

-n  Outputs the interface part of a Pascal unit only. The implementation part will not be included.
-p

Pascal Compiler

Causes DIPP to imitate a particular Pascal compiler by setting and selected conditional compiler symbols.
-PD6 DIPP imitates Delphi 6.
-PD32  DIPP imitates a general Delphi 32 compiler.
-PK2 DIPP imitates Kylix 2.
-ai

Add / Insert Include Files

-ai is one of the options to specify handling of include files. -ai causes DIPP to insert all include files into the output file. If enabled, DIPP processes conditionals for all inserted include files.
-ai Inserts all include files.

You can fine-tune the -ai option by appending one or multipe file names, separated by semicolon ';', which instructs DIPP to insert only those include files specified. Include file names may contain wildcards.
-aiSymbols.inc Inserts the include file 'Symbols.inc' only.
-aiSymbols.inc;abc*.inc  Inserts the include file 'Symbols.inc' plus all file matching the wildcard 'abc*.inc'.

If DIPP can not find an include file and open it for reading, it will terminated with an error. To solve the problem, set the include directories.
-ri

Read Include Files

-ri causes DIPP to read the contents of. If enabled, DIPP processes conditionals for all include files which DIPP reads. However, simply reading will not insert the include files' contents into the output file.
-ri Reads all include files.

You can fine-tune the -ri option by appending one or multipe file names, separated by semicolon ';', which instructs DIPP to read only those include files specified. Include file names may contain wildcards.
-aiSymbols.inc Reads the include file 'Symbols.inc' only.
-aiSymbols.inc;abc*.inc  Reads the include file 'Symbols.inc' plus all file matching the wildcard 'abc*.inc'.

If DIPP can not find an include file and open it for reading, it will terminated with an error. To solve the problem, set the include directories.
-si

Skip Include Files

-si causes DIPP to skip all include files.

-ri Skips all include files.

You can fine-tune the -si option by appending one or multipe file names, separated by semicolon ';', which instructs DIPP to skip only those include files specified. Include file names may contain wildcards.
-aiSymbols.inc Skips the include file 'Symbols.inc' only.
-aiSymbols.inc;abc*.inc  Skips the include file 'Symbols.inc' plus all file matching the wildcard 'abc*.inc'.

Skipping an include file does not require DIPP to be able to locate it and open it for reading.
-t

Time Stamp Output File

The -t option instructs DIPP to set the time stamp of the output file to that of the input file.
-t Time stamp output file to input file.

With the additional option -ti, DIPP calculates the new timestamp from the input file as well as all include files inserted and read.
-ti  Time stamp output file to the latest of time of input file or include files.

DIPP Examples

The following example file contains comments, conditional defines, compiler directives and an implementation section. Let's see how we can use DIPP to modify it. 

{ Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inspiration, Ralf Junker }

{ This is a test unit for DIPP. }
unit Test;

{$HPPEMIT '#include "common.h"'}
{$IMAGEBASE $00400000}

interface

{$IFDEF MSWINDOWS}
const
  OS = 'MS Windows';
{$ENDIF}

{$IFDEF LINUX}
const
  OS = 'Linux';
{$ENDIF}

implementation

{$IFDEF Debug}
initialization
  WriteLn('!!! Debug Mode !!!');
{$ENDIF}

end.

Removing all comments, the file looks like:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C test.pas out.pas
unit Test;

{$HPPEMIT '#include "common.h"'}
{$IMAGEBASE $00400000}

interface

<SNIP>

Removing all but the 1st comment, the file looks like:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C1 test.pas out.pas
 
{ Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inspiration, Ralf Junker }

unit Test;

{$HPPEMIT '#include "common.h"'}
{$IMAGEBASE $00400000}

interface

<SNIP>

This will remove all comments but the 1st, and also remove the {$HPPEMIT ... } compiler directive.

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C1 -$-HPPEMIT test.pas out.pas
 
{ Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inspiration, Ralf Junker }

unit Test;

{$IMAGEBASE $00400000}

interface

<SNIP>

Next we want to remove all comments (-C) and all compiler directives (-$). We also want to remove all conditionals (-h), so we also enable processing of conditionals (-c). Let's see what's left, if no conditional symbols are defined:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C -$ -h -c test.pas out.pas
 
unit Test;

interface

implementation

end.

Why is the file almost empty? DIPP does, by default, not know about the Pascal compiler. Imitating Delphi 6 (-pD6) defines the MSWINDOWS conditional symbol and DIPP outputs the following:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C -$ -h -c -pD6 test.pas out.pas
 
unit Test;

interface

const
  OS = 'MS Windows';

implementation

end.

Now imagine creating a Debug build by defining the Debug conditional symbol at the command prompt with -DDebug:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C -$ -h -c -pD6 -DDebug test.pas out.pas
 
unit Test;

interface

const
  OS = 'MS Windows';

implementation

initialization
  WriteLn('!!! Debug Mode !!!');

end.

Last but not least, we will create an interface file for Kylix (-pK) with all comments after the 1st and all conditionals removed. We will, however, not remove the compiler directives:

C:\DIPP>DIPP -C1 -h -c -pK test.pas out.pas
 
{ Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inspiration, Ralf Junker }

unit Test;

{$HPPEMIT '#include "common.h"'}
{$IMAGEBASE $00400000}

interface

const
  OS = 'Linux';

implementation

DIPP History

DIPP 1.2

DIPP 1.1

DIPP 1.0

Initial, limited release.

Contact

DIPP is Copyright (c) 2003 The Delphi Inspiration, Ralf Junker
Internet: http://www.zeitungsjunge.de/delphi/
E-Mail: delphi@zeitungsjunge.de