The steps required in compiling and link-editing a Presentation Manager application are generally similar to those required to generate any other OS/2 application. Some files are required in addition to those used by a "conventional" application, due to Presentation Manager's use of externalized definitions for application resources such as menus, string tables and dialog boxes.
The module definition file provides a mechanism whereby various attributes of an application or dynamic link library may be specified. The module definition file also allows the developer to specify copyright information that is imbedded in the executable code.
The creation of dynamic link libraries, while essentially similar to that of normal application code, requires certain special considerations, notably with regard to the module definition file and the options that are specified at link-edit time. Code modules and Presentation Manager resources that are likely to be subject to change, or are of a potentially reusable nature may be placed in dynamic link libraries and thus isolated from the remainder of the application. The remainder of the application code is thus protected from changes that may be necessary to these dynamic link libraries in order to accommodate changes in such areas as organizational procedures or government legislation. Dynamic link libraries may also be used by multiple applications concurrently, by virtue of their reentrant nature.