Make a dll file

To verify that everything works so far, compile the dynamic link library. The DLL and related compiler output are placed in a folder called Debug directly below the solution folder.

If you create a Release build, the output is placed in a folder called Release. The output should look something like this:. Next, you'll create a client app that uses the functions exported by the DLL. When you create a DLL, think about how client apps may use it. To call the functions or access the data exported by a DLL, client source code must have the declarations available at compile time.

At link time, the linker requires information to resolve the function calls or data accesses. A DLL supplies this information in an import library , a file that contains information about how to find the functions and data, instead of the actual code. And at run time, the DLL must be available to the client, in a location that the operating system can find. Whether it's your own or from a third-party, your client app project needs several pieces of information to use a DLL. One solution is to copy all of these files into your client project.

For third-party DLLs that are unlikely to change while your client is in development, this method may be the best way to use them.

However, when you also build the DLL, it's better to avoid duplication. If you make a local copy of DLL files that are under development, you may accidentally change a header file in one copy but not the other, or use an out-of-date library. To avoid out-of-sync code, we recommend you set the include path in your client project to include the DLL header files directly from your DLL project. This step allows your client app to use the same DLL code you build.

From the filtered list of project types, choose Console App then choose Next. In the Configure your new project page, enter MathClient in the Project name box to specify a name for the project. A minimal console application project is created for you. The name for the main source file is the same as the project name that you entered earlier.

In this example, it's named MathClient. You can build it, but it doesn't use your DLL yet. In the center pane, select Windows Console Application. Specify the name for the project, MathClient , in the Name edit box. In the center pane, select Win32 Console Application. On the Application Settings page, under Application type , select Console application if it isn't already selected. When the wizard finishes, a minimal console application project is created for you.

Next, to call the MathLibrary functions in your source code, your project must include the MathLibrary. You could copy this header file into your client app project, then add it to the project as an existing item. This method can be a good choice for third-party libraries. However, if you're working on the code for your DLL and your client at the same time, the header files could get out of sync.

To avoid this issue, set the Additional Include Directories path in your project to include the path to the original header. In the Configuration drop-down box, select All Configurations if it's not already selected. In the property pane, select the drop-down control next to the Additional Include Directories edit box, and then choose Edit.

Double-click in the top pane of the Additional Include Directories dialog box to enable an edit control. Or, choose the folder icon to create a new entry.

In the edit control, specify the path to the location of the MathLibrary. You can choose the ellipsis You can also enter a relative path from your client source files to the folder that contains the DLL header files. If you followed the directions to put your client project in a separate solution from the DLL, the relative path should look like this:. Step 7 how to create dll file As a last step, we proceed to open the DLL code, it is necessary that it be presented directly in Visual Studio to be able to carry out its modification, then we proceed with the personal creation of the DLL, which will require its proper compilation so that it can be installed as highlighted in some previous steps.

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That's basically it, but in a simplest settings, my 5. Please see my additional explanations in my solution. Wendelius 5-Sep pm. Thanks SA. Thank you Wendelius. I will try to do what you said. If you only "have heard" about writing DLLs after some time of application development, you need seriously rethink your methods of learning and work. Don't proceed with development until you have clear understanding of basic platform capabilities and techniques.

DLLs is one of such basic features. First thing you need to understand, the major building block of. NET, there is not fundamental difference between.

EXE and. EXE is used as a main executable module of an application, and a. DLL as a main executable module of a class library to be referenced by other assemblies applications or libraries.

But you can use. EXE file and reference it exactly the same way as a library. You can have an alternative host for running. The only difference of EXE is having an entry point usually Main , but it can be changed.

Class libraries are used to provide code reuse, not for protection. They cannot add any protection at all. In general, boundaries between assemblies used in the same application domain are so thin that you hardly can feel them.