////////////////////////////// // Version 1.40 // October 22nd, 2002 - .NET (VC7, _MSC_VER=1300) support! // Version 1.30 // Nov 24th, 2000 // Version 1.20 // Jun 9th, 2000 // Version 1.10 // Jan 23rd, 2000 // Version 1.00 // May 20th, 1999 // Todd C. Wilson, Fresh Ground Software // (todd@nopcode.com) // This header file will kick in settings for Visual C++ 5 and 6 that will (usually) // result in smaller exe's. // The "trick" is to tell the compiler to not pad out the function calls; this is done // by not using the /O1 or /O2 option - if you do, you implicitly use /Gy, which pads // out each and every function call. In one single 500k dll, I managed to cut out 120k // by this alone! // The other two "tricks" are telling the Linker to merge all data-type segments together // in the exe file. The relocation, read-only (constants) data, and code section (.text) // sections can almost always be merged. Each section merged can save 4k in exe space, // since each section is padded out to 4k chunks. This is very noticeable with smaller // exes, since you could have only 700 bytes of data, 300 bytes of code, 94 bytes of // strings - padded out, this could be 12k of runtime, for 1094 bytes of stuff! For larger // programs, this is less overall, but can save at least 4k. // Note that if you're using MFC static or some other 3rd party libs, you may get poor // results with merging the readonly (.rdata) section - the exe may grow larger. // To use this feature, define _MERGE_DATA_ in your project or before this header is used. // With Visual C++ 5, the program uses a file alignment of 512 bytes, which results // in a small exe. Under VC6, the program instead uses 4k, which is the same as the // section size. The reason (from what I understand) is that 4k is the chunk size of // the virtual memory manager, and that WinAlign (an end-user tuning tool for Win98) // will re-align the programs on this boundary. The problem with this is that all of // Microsoft's system exes and dlls are *NOT* tuned like this, and using 4k causes serious // exe bloat. This is very noticeable for smaller programs. // The "trick" for this is to use the undocumented FILEALIGN linker parm to change the // padding from 4k to 1/2k, which results in a much smaller exe - anywhere from 20%-75% // depending on the size. Note that this is the same as using /OPT:NOWIN98, which *is* // a previously documented switch, but was left out of the docs for some reason in VC6 and // all of the current MSDN's - see KB:Q235956 for more information. // Microsoft does say that using the 4k alignment will "speed up process loading", // but I've been unable to notice a difference, even on my P180, with a very large (4meg) exe. // Please note, however, that this will probably not change the size of the COMPRESSED // file (either in a .zip file or in an install archive), since this 4k is all zeroes and // gets compressed away. // Also, the /ALIGN:4096 switch will "magically" do the same thing, even though this is the // default setting for this switch. Apparently this sets the same values as the above two // switches do. We do not use this in this header, since it smacks of a bug and not a feature. // Thanks to Michael Geary for some additional tips! // // Notes about using this header in .NET // First off, VC7 does not allow a lot of the linker command options in pragma's. There is no // honest or good reason why Microsoft decided to make this change, it just doesn't. // So that is why there are a lot of <1300 #if's in the header. // If you want to take full advantage of the VC7 linker options, you will need to do it on a // PER PROJECT BASIS; you can no longer use a global header file like this to make it better. // Items I strongly suggest putting in all your VC7 project linker options command line settings: // /ignore:4078 /RELEASE // Compiler options: // /GL (Whole Program Optimization) // If you're making an .EXE and not a .DLL, consider adding in: // /GA (Optimize for Windows Application) // Some items to consider using in your VC7 projects (not VC6): // Link-time Code Generation - whole code optimization. Put this in your exe/dll project link settings. // /LTCG:NOSTATUS // The classic no-padding and no-bloat compiler C/C++ switch: // /opt:nowin98 // // (C++ command line options: /GL /opt:nowin98 and /GA for .exe files) // (Link command line options: /ignore:4078 /RELEASE /LTCG:NOSTATUS) // // Now, notes on using these options in VC7 vs VC6. // VC6 consistently, for me, produces smaller code from C++ the exact same sources, // with or without this header. On average, VC6 produces 5% smaller binaries compared // to VC7 compiling the exact same project, *without* this header. With this header, VC6 // will make a 13k file, while VC7 will make a 64k one. VC7 is just bloaty, pure and // simple - all that managed/unmanaged C++ runtimes, and the CLR stuff must be getting // in the way of code generation. However, template support is better, so there. // Both VC6 and VC7 show the same end kind of end result savings - larger binary output // will shave about 2% off, where as smaller projects (support DLL's, cpl's, // activex controls, ATL libs, etc) get the best result, since the padding is usually // more than the actual usable code. But again, VC7 does not compile down as small as VC6. // // The argument can be made that doing this is a waste of time, since the "zero bytes" // will be compressed out in a zip file or install archive. Not really - it doesn't matter // if the data is a string of zeroes or ones or 85858585 - it will still take room (20 bytes // in a zip file, 29 bytes if only *4* of them 4k bytes are not the same) and time to // compress that data and decompress it. Also, 20k of zeros is NOT 20k on disk - it's the // size of the cluster slop- for Fat32 systems, 20k can be 32k, NTFS could make it 24k if you're // just 1 byte over (round up). Most end users do not have the dual P4 Xeon systems with // two gigs of RDram and a Raid 0+1 of Western Digital 120meg Special Editions that all // worthy developers have (all six of us), so they will need any space and LOADING TIME // savings they will need; taking an extra 32k or more out of your end user's 64megs of // ram on Windows 98 is Not a Good Thing. // // Now, as a ADDED BONUS at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU! Under VC6, using the /merge:.text=.data // pragma will cause the output file to be un-disassembleable! (is that a word?) At least, // with the normal tools - WinDisam, DumpBin, and the like will not work. Try it - use the // header, compile release, and then use DUMPBIN /DISASM filename.exe - no code! // Thanks to Gëzim Pani for discovering this gem - for a full writeup on // this issue and the ramifactions of it, visit www.nopcode.com for the Aggressive Optimize // article. #ifndef _AGGRESSIVEOPTIMIZE_H_ #define _AGGRESSIVEOPTIMIZE_H_ #pragma warning(disable:4711) #ifdef NDEBUG // /Og (global optimizations), /Os (favor small code), /Oy (no frame pointers) #pragma optimize("gsy",on) #if (_MSC_VER<1300) #pragma comment(linker,"/RELEASE") #endif // Note that merging the .rdata section will result in LARGER exe's if you using // MFC (esp. static link). If this is desirable, define _MERGE_RDATA_ in your project. /* DEP prevents the plugin from running when section merging is used. Had to disable it. */ /* #ifdef _MERGE_RDATA_ #pragma comment(linker,"/merge:.rdata=.data") #endif // _MERGE_RDATA_ #pragma comment(linker,"/merge:.text=.data") #if (_MSC_VER<1300) // In VC7, this causes problems with the relocation and data tables, so best to not merge them #pragma comment(linker,"/merge:.reloc=.data") #endif */ // Merging sections with different attributes causes a linker warning, so // turn off the warning. From Michael Geary. Undocumented, as usual! #if (_MSC_VER<1300) // In VC7, you will need to put this in your project settings #pragma comment(linker,"/ignore:4078") #endif // With Visual C++ 5, you already get the 512-byte alignment, so you will only need // it for VC6, and maybe later. #if _MSC_VER >= 1000 // Option #1: use /filealign // Totally undocumented! And if you set it lower than 512 bytes, the program crashes. // Either leave at 0x200 or 0x1000 //#pragma comment(linker,"/FILEALIGN:0x200") // Option #2: use /opt:nowin98 // See KB:Q235956 or the READMEVC.htm in your VC directory for info on this one. // This is our currently preferred option, since it is fully documented and unlikely // to break in service packs and updates. #if (_MSC_VER<1300) // In VC7, you will need to put this in your project settings #pragma comment(linker,"/opt:nowin98") #else // Option #3: use /align:4096 // A side effect of using the default align value is that it turns on the above switch. // Does nothing under Vc7 that /opt:nowin98 doesn't already give you // #pragma comment(linker,"/ALIGN:512") #endif #endif // _MSC_VER >= 1000 #endif // NDEBUG #endif // _AGGRESSIVEOPTIMIZE_H_