64-bit Deployment

You can create PowerBuilder applications to deploy on 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Migrated applications will default to “32-bit.” You can also set the Platform Target build option to “32-bit or 64-bit.” The latter option allows you to use 32-bit libraries in applications you will deploy as a 64-bit.

Other targets—WCF Service, WPF Web Service DataWindow, WCF Client, REST Client—are all callees, so the application type determines the running mode. You cannot select the platform; they build as “AnyCPU” mode.

Compilation

Depending on the Platform Target setting, the application you developed compiles in different ways.

Microsoft uses the names "x86" and "AnyCPU."

Performance

64-bit deployment gives you an interface to develop different types of applications, especially applications for 64-bit Windows platforms. This kind of application can use more than 4GB of RAM, and has better performance than their 32-bit counterpart.

Limitation in 12.5.1

Some PowerBuilder features are not available when running a “32-bit or 64-bit” application on a 64-bit platform.

Error Messages and Runtime Exceptions

The most common exception caused by this feature is BadImageFormatException. It is thrown when the file image of a dynamic link library (DLL) or an executable program is invalid.

Main application format Platform Format of the assemblies loaded at runtime Remarks
32-bit 32-bit 32-bit, 32-bit or 64-bit  
32-bit 64-bit 32-bit, 32-bit or 64-bit WOW64
32-bit or 64-bit 32-bit 32-bit, 32-bit or 64-bit  
32-bit or 64-bit 64-bit 64-bit, 32-bit or 64-bit  

The main application determines the runtime environment in the whole application lifecycle. This exception will be raised when the format of an assembly conflict with the format of main application at runtime.