How to use PAB.EXE and PAB32.EXE

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Activation

When starting PAB for the first time, your license must be activated through the Internet, unless you activated it during the installation. If you are running PAB on a computer that has not got access to the Internet, you can create an activation XML file and send to us. You will then receive a response XML file that you use to manually activate.

For the activation, use the registration key that was sent to you by mail when buying the product license. This key is good for a small number of activations. Contact us if you run out of activations, for example when reinstalling on a new computer. You are entitled to install Pascal Browser on up to four computers, as long as you are the Pascal Browser user on those computers. If more than one developer needs Pascal Browser, additional licenses must be bought.

If you need to move the installation to another computer, you can deactivate the license on the current computer. Then you will be able to activate the license on the new computer. Use the menu command "Deactivate License" in the About-menu for this.

Summary

Pascal Browser is an easy-to-use standalone Windows program. Just create a new project and select a source file to generate documentation for. Either select a complete Delphi project (DPR-file), Delphi package (DPK-file) or a single source file (PAS-file), set a few options and start the process.

Unlike some other tools, you do not have to alter your code in order to process it with Pascal Browser. It does not either change or affect your code in any way.

It is very easy to use and to get started with. Follow this simple procedure to create documentation with Pascal Browser:

1. Create a new Pascal Browser project, by selection File|New from the main menu. Then select a main file to analyze, either a complete Delphi project or a single source file. You can also open an existing Pascal Browser project.

2. Make sure that the selected compiler target is suitable for the source code. Enter other options that are required, like which main file to analyze.

3. Press the Run button and wait from a few seconds up to several minutes, depending on the size of the code. Pascal Browser will parse the code, and apply templates in XSL-format to the gathered information. The output is created as a collection of files, in the selected output folder. Files in the template folder (and optionally sub folders) are copied to the output location (except *.XSL files).

4. Examine the documentation with an external program (normally a browser). By default, Pascal Browser will automatically open the main document after the process is finished.

Command-line parameters

In this version, there is one type of parameter you can use on the command-line:

You can use a path setting on the command-line, for the project you want Pascal Browser to open at start-up. Normally the last used project is loaded, so this is a way to override that behaviour.

Example:

PAB.EXE c:\project\MyProj.pbr

Pascal Browser will open MyProj.pbr at start-up.

Pascal Browser is not a Delphi IDE plug-in (expert or wizard). It is a standalone program. You can however install the application in the Delphi IDE, allowing easy access from within the Delphi development environment.

To install Pascal Browser in the Delphi IDE, follow these simple steps (those are written for Delphi 7, but should apply even to other versions):

1. Start Delphi and select Tools|Configure Tools

2. In the dialog box, press the Add button

3. Fill in the fields, for instance with these values:

Title: Pascal Browser

Program: C:\Program Files\Peganza\Pascal Browser\PAB.exe

Working dir: C:\Program Files\Peganza\Pascal Browser