PC File - Pro*C Source Code File - What is .pc file and how to open it?

What is a PC file?

PC file or a .pc file is a ProC source code file. ProC is a precompiler used with Oracle databases to embed SQL statements within C or C++ code. When you compile Pro*C file, it generates regular C or C++ code with embedded SQL commands. This allows you to seamlessly integrate SQL database operations with your C or C++ programs.

Here is basic example of what Pro*C file might look like:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <sqlca.h>

EXEC SQL INCLUDE sqlca;

int main() {
    EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;
    int emp_id;
    char emp_name[50];
    EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;

    /* Connect to database */
    EXEC SQL CONNECT :user IDENTIFIED BY :password;

    /* Fetch employee details */
    EXEC SQL SELECT employee_id, employee_name INTO :emp_id, :emp_name FROM employees WHERE employee_id = :input_id;

    /* Print fetched details */
    printf("Employee ID: %d\n", emp_id);
    printf("Employee Name: %s\n", emp_name);

    /* Disconnect from database */
    EXEC SQL COMMIT WORK RELEASE;
    return 0;
}

In this example, SQL statements are prefixed with EXEC SQL to indicate that they are embedded SQL statements. These statements will be processed by Pro*C precompiler when file is compiled and appropriate C code will be generated to interact with Oracle database.

How to open PC file?

To open a PC file, you typically need a text editor or an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that supports editing C or C++ source code. Here are some common options:

Text Editors:
- Notepad (Windows)
- TextEdit (Mac)
- gedit (Linux)
- Sublime Text
- Atom
- Visual Studio Code
Integrated Development Environments (IDEs):
- Eclipse with CDT (C/C++ Development Tooling)
- Visual Studio with Visual C++ or Visual Studio Code with C++ extension
- Code::Blocks
- NetBeans with C/C++ pack

References

Pro*C