Visual COBOL eclipse - Debugger Run-time error 253 Cannot load file - unsupported format: b.exe Debugger Error Code 253

I changed it to a CALL and got the same error.  I am wondering if there is something wrong with the environment.  Running on a Windows 7, 64 bit machine.  I just want the code to run local right now.  I am also having trouble with call to ADIS although this does not result in the load error, I am not getting the KEY-STATUS back after the CALL.

My main goal is to enhance this application to something more visual but first I wanted to get it working in its more primitive original version.  Any help would be appreciated.

I changed it to a CALL and got the same error.  I am wondering if there is something wrong with the environment.  Running on a Windows 7, 64 bit machine.  I just want the code to run local right now.  I am also having trouble with call to ADIS although this does not result in the load error, I am not getting the KEY-STATUS back after the CALL.

My main goal is to enhance this application to something more visual but first I wanted to get it working in its more primitive original version.  Any help would be appreciated.

How do you have your projects setup? It seems like you are generating .EXE files for both your main program and subprogram which is not allowed.

If your main program is an .exe then you can call programs that are compiled as .dlls or as .int or .gnt code but not .exes.

In order to do this in Visual COBOL you would setup your main program in a project that generates an .exe and then your subprogram in a project that generates a .dll and then add a reference to the subprogram project from the main program project.

From the 253 error, it appears that you are calling the subprogram with an explicit reference to the extension on the subprogram, something like CALL "b.exe". Once you change the subprogram to be one of the callable executable types that Chris mentioned, you will not need to reference the extension in your call statement - you can use CALL "b" instead.